Editor

V. D. Adams and V. A. Lamarra

Document Type

Chapter

Publication Date

1983

Publication Title

Aquatic Resource Management of the Colorado River Ecosystem

Publisher

Ann Arbor Scientific Publishers, Ann Arbor, Mich.

First page number:

685

Last page number:

688

Abstract

When management requires water quality standards, we should establish standards in a scientific and logical manner to serve the long-term needs of the users. It was this very process that led to enactment of the Reclamation Act of 1902 and the Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928 - legislation that still serves the needs of users in the Colorado River Basin. This process can work again if we can make the "tradeoffs" that are so vital in management of a multi-purpose river.

In order to do this, however, we must first be able to identify "tradeoffs." This requires good scientific research and a thorough understanding of the Colorado River system. The papers presented at this symposium demonstrate that considerable progress is being made in this direction. Several areas were also identified where research would be beneficial in the future. Nonetheless, research will not improve management of the Colorado River unless the results can be better integrated into the decision making process. Perhaps a regional management board of the kind proposed by Stanford, comprised of knowledgeable users, managers and scientists, could be established in the basin to help identify problems, assess research findings, develop management alternatives, and advise decision makers of the tradeoffs associated with implementation of alternative programs. This might be a necessary first step in our efforts to develop integrated resource management on the Colorado River.

Keywords

Environmental laws; Environmental monitoring; Lake Mead (Ariz. and Nev.); Phosphorus; Salinity; Water quality

Disciplines

Environmental Engineering | Natural Resource Economics | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Water Resource Management

Language

English

Comments

"Proceedings of the 1981 Symposium on the Aquatic Resources Management of the Colorado River Ecosystem, November 16-18, 1981, Las Vegas, Nevada sponsored by Office of Water Research and Technology (U.S. Department of Interior), Utah Water Research Laboratory, and Utah State University"--P. [iii]

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