Damming the Colorado : the Rise of the Lower Colorado River Authority, 1933-1939 / by John A. Adams, Jr.

Adams, John A. (1951-)

ISBN 10: 0890964262 / ISBN 13: 9780890964262

Published by College Station : Texas A & M University Press, 1990

About this Item

An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 161 pages; Description: xvii, 161 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [142]-155) and index. Subjects: Lower Colorado River Authority --History. Water resources development --Texas --Colorado River Region --History. Floods --Texas --Colorado River Region --History. Series: The Centennial series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University ; no. 35 1 Kg. Seller Inventory # 166380

Bibliographic Details

Title: Damming the Colorado : the Rise of the Lower...

Publisher: College Station : Texas A & M University Press

Publication Date: 1990

Binding: Hardcover

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Edition: First Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

Before there was a Lower Colorado River Authority, the Colorado River cut across Central Texas free and unfettered by artificial structures. But the river could be unpredictable and dangerous. In the early years of the twentieth century there were numerous attempts to harness and develop the river. Some Texans desperately wanted private enterprise to achieve that goal, but the job proved to be larger than the resources of the private sector. What emerged in the mid-1930s was a cooperative federal-state approach that created controversy yet results. John Adams details the dynamics in the struggle of private interests and public institutions to cooperate in the taming of the Colorado. The Great Depression further constricted private capital available for large-scale reclamation projects, but the New Deal entered into the effort. With seasoned Texas politicians in Washington, millions of dollars in federal funds were channeled into the Lower Colorado River Authority. The Lower Colorado River Authority resulted in a system of dams, reservoirs, and hydroelectric power stations. Intensive research in primary documents, including four sets of presidential papers, and in state and national archives has enabled Adams to trace the development of the accord and relationships between private utility interests, conservationists, and politicians that finally dammed the Colorado and further cemented the precedent for federally funded water and reclamation projects in the West.

Synopsis:

Chronicles the array of conflicts and compromises that led to the formation of the Lower Colorado River Authority, "Texas' little TVA." Illustrations document the "before" shots of the river in flood and the construction of the massive dams along the river. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.