Owens Valley Revisited: A Reassessment of the West's First Great Water Transfer - Softcover

Libecap, Gary D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804753806 ISBN 13: 9780804753807

Publisher: Stanford Economics and Finance, 2007

Synopsis

In the contemporary West, pressures to more effectively reallocate water to meet growing urban and environmental demands are increasing as environmental awareness grows and climate change threatens existing water supplies. The legacy of Owens Valley raises concerns about how reallocation can occur. Although it took place over seventy years ago, the water transfer from Owens Valley to Los Angeles still plays an important role in perceptions of how water markets work. The memory of Owens Valley transfer is one of theft and environmental destruction at the hands of Los Angeles. In reassessing the infamous transfer, one could say that there was no "theft." Owens Valley landowners fared well in their land and water sales, earning more than if they had stayed in agriculture. In another sense, however, "theft" did occur. The water was not literally stolen, but there was a sharp imbalance in gains from the trade-with most of the benefits going to Los Angeles. Owens Valley, then, demonstrates the importance of distributional issues in water trades when the stakes are large. Los Angeles water rights in the Owens Valley and Mono Basin have again been a front-page issue since 1970. New environmental and recreational values and air pollution concerns have ushered in demands to curtail the shipment of water from source regions for urban use. Owen's Valley Revisited: A Reassesment of the West's First Great Water Transfer carefully explores how these sagas were addressed, considering the costs involved, and alternative approaches that might have resulted in more rapid and less contentious remedies. This analysis offers insights to guide the ongoing conversation about water politics and the future thereof. .

About this title

Review:

"In his latest book Owen's Valley Revisited, Libecap takes on one of the most enduring myths in western water history--the famous transfer of water from Owen's Valley to Los Angeles that occurred in the early part of the twentieth century The result is impressive: using extensive archival data, Libecap manages to convincingly demonstrate that the popular 'rap and pillage' myth surrounding Owen's Valley is in actuality much more complicated than generally perceived."--H-Net

"Owen's Valley Revisited fills an important need for anyone who wants a balanced picture of the water history of Los Angeles in the Owen's Valley and Mono Basins. It is concise and yet, thorough. For any fair commentary on the LADWP Owen's Valley history, no writer should begin without first reading Libecap's Owen's Valley Revisited."--Water & Power Associates, Inc. Newsletter

"Scholars of the Los Angeles-Owens Valley controversy will be most interested in the revisionist approach of Gary D. Libecap's Owens Valley Revisited . . . The book does provide a chronology and a solid bibliography as well as several maps, graphs, and tables that students of this story will find useful."--Randal Beeman "Southern California Quarterly "

"Gary Libecap has produced a new economic analysis of the century-long, acrimonious relations between the Los Angeles's Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and Owen's Valley, a region of California that supplies water to Los Angeles His book belongs on the shelf of any water resources economist, as well as on the shelves of historians seeking multiple perspectives of the American West."--Haddad

"Libecap provides a stimulating new view of the infamous Owens Valley Water Purchase. Using scientific tools and objectively weighing the evidence, the book gives the reader an accurate understanding of this controversial and fascinating history."--Mary Shirley "The Ronald Coase Institute "

"This book is an important contribution to the recent literature on institutions, property rights, and transaction costs. Libecap's careful correction of the historical record is a welcome addition to the ongoing debate about water transfer policy."--P. J. Hill "Wheaton College "

". . . Libecap constructs a convincing revisionist history of the Owens Valley land and water purchases by the City of Los Angeles in the early 20th century."--Ellen Hanak "Public Policy Institute of California "

Synopsis:

In the American West, pressures to reallocate water to meet urban demands are rising as cities grow, environmental awareness increases, and climate change threatens existing water supplies. The legacy of Owens Valley, however, raises concerns about reallocation. Although it occurred more than 70 years ago, the water transfer from Owens Valley to Los Angeles still plays an important role in public perceptions of water markets. The transfer is largely remembered as an instance of "theft" and environmental destruction perpetrated by Los Angeles. But a reassessment of the infamous transfer might conclude that there was no theft, as Owens Valley landowners fared well in the land and water sales. In another sense, however, theft did occur: a sharp imbalance in gains from the trade resulted in most of the benefits going to Los Angeles. The Owens Valley case, then, demonstrates the importance of distributional issues in water trades. "Owens Valley Revisited" carefully explores these issues and considers alternative approaches to the Owens Valley transfer that might have yielded better results, offering insights to guide the future of water politics.

About this edition

• Publisher: Stanford Economics and Finance
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0804753806
• ISBN 13: 9780804753807
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 222