Deadbeat Dams Summary

After I read the book “Deadbeat Dams”, I agree with the sentiment and the arguments of the author. But as a book, it comes across more as a rant than an objective discussion of the issues. Dan Beard's publication has a great title and is filled with an insider's critical views of the national political process that results in the mismanagement of our nation's water resources. Some of the information he shared is not new - the tree rings and over allocation of water has been known for decades the same as backing up water over sand stone and evaporation. He touches on some subjects such as downstream salt issues without discussing why we have built a plant to remove salt from water for Mexico. I think that he provides a good overview of the politics and base issues without getting fanatical. Ecosystems were changed when the dams were built better or worse depending on what we do. Some of these dams are 50, 75 or 100 years so new ecosystems are in play. He focuses a lot on the Bureau of Reclamation but there is plenty to go around. …show more content…
History is catching up to the nearly inert bulk of federal water programs. Federal budgets, climate change, urban growth, environmental priorities and just our overall sense of the contract between government and society -- these are all changing in ways that cast very unflattering light on many features the traditional model of the federal water program. Even if we concern with protecting traditional irrigated agriculture, we have to be uncomfortable with Dan's explanation of how "junior" agricultural water rights holders in California have used their political influence over federal water programs to shrink supplies for "senior" agricultural rights holders with less clout in Washington and