All the Water the Law Allows: Las Vegas and Colorado River Politics

The threat of a water shortage in southern Nevada is caused by the American legal system, specifically the Law of the River, which governs water allocation from the Colorado River. In All the Water the Law Allows, Christian S. Harrison focuses on the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and its creation and actions to address the twin challenges of aridity and federal law. The SNWA has mapped conservation plans and has been at the center of groundbreaking, water-sharing agreements, but these achievements do not challenge the fundamental primacy of the Law of the River. If current trends continue, the SNWA will be a force and a model for the Basin as a whole.

Format: Hardback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2021
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

The population of the greater Las Vegas area is experiencing a significant surge, accompanied by a rise in temperature, which is exacerbating the looming threat of a water shortage in southern Nevada. However, as Christian S. Harrison elucidates in his book, All the Water the Law Allows, the scarcity threat emerges not from the local environment but rather from the American legal system, specifically the Law of the River that governs the allocation of water from the Colorado River. In this comprehensive political and legal history of the Las Vegas water supply, Harrison delves into the formation and actions of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to unravel a narrative with profound implications and valuable lessons for water politics and natural resource policy in the twenty-first century.

In the state with the smallest allocation of the Colorado water supply, Las Vegas faces the dual challenges of aridity and federal law to secure water for its rapidly expanding population. All the Water the Law Allows provides an insightful account of how the impending water shortage in the 1980s prompted the five metropolitan water agencies of greater Las Vegas to consolidate into a unified entity. Harrison intricately details the circumstances surrounding the SNWAs evolution and highlights how the consolidation of local, county, and state interests enabled the compact to exert greater influence and focus on regional water policy than any of its counterparts in the Colorado River Basin. Notably, the SNWA has implemented comprehensive conservation plans that have significantly reduced local water consumption, and it has played a pivotal role in pioneering groundbreaking water-sharing agreements in the interstate realm.

Despite these remarkable achievements, it is important to recognize that the Law of the River remains the foundational principle governing the distribution of water in the Colorado River Basin. If current trends persist and the Basin States are compelled to reassess the river's distribution, the SNWA will serve as a powerful force and a model for the entire Basin. The book offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of water allocation, governance, and sustainability, and it underscores the critical importance of finding innovative solutions to address the challenges posed by population growth, climate change, and resource scarcity. By examining the historical and contemporary challenges faced by Las Vegas and the SNWA, All the Water the Law Allows provides a roadmap for policymakers, water managers, and citizens alike to navigate the complex waters of water politics and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Weight: 524g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780806169323