A 21st Century Paradigm For Rivers And Water In The West: Adding Ethics And Biology To An Engineering Solution
Neubecker, Ken 1
1 American Rivers
Colorado is currently developing its first Water Plan, a plan that will try and help solve the many water issues and future shortages we face. Some have said we don’t need one because we already have a “plan” called Prior Appropriation. But the needs of 21st century Colorado are very different from those when “Prior” became the foundation for water allocation across an arid landscape. In 1876 water was diverted to growing cities and farms with little care for the dry streambed that is the base value of Prior Appropriation.
Today we still need to manage rivers for the needs of farms and cities, but we are now also expected to provide for the needs of rivers, as rivers. Rivers are no longer just conduits for the conveyance of water. Biology and ecology are now as important as hydrology in the management of rivers. But natural river systems are filled with uncertain complexities. There is no Manning’s Equation for stream ecosystems.
Managing 21st century Rivers will also require an extended sense of ethics that includes rivers as rivers. If Colorado’s Water Plan is to truly provide for the stated value of “a strong environment, with healthy rivers and watersheds”, we need to create a plan that includes new ideas about engineering, science, law and ethics
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