Intro -- About Island Press -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- Introduction -- Part I: A Brief Look at Western Water History -- The Inevitable Federal Role -- How the Government Watered the West -- The Fruits of Water Development: A Balance Sheet -- Environmental Costs and Benefits -- The Columbia River Dams -- The Central Valley Project and Tulare Basin Dams -- Other Disappearing Wildlife Habitats -- The Colorado River -- Rare and Endangered Species, Recreation, and Other Environmental Matters -- The "New" Bureau of Reclamation -- Part II: Water and the Law: How the West's Most Valuable Resource Is Allocated, Used, and Wasted -- The Basics of Western Water Law -- The Origins of Prior Appropriation -- Problems with the Prior Appropriation System -- Water Transfers in the System -- Water Transfer Procedures -- State Laws and Policies -- Area of Origin Protection -- Instream Flow Protection -- Public Interest and Public Trust Issues -- Salvaged Water -- Interstate Transfer Restrictions -- Federal Water -- The Reclamation Water Right -- Selling or Leasing Reclamation Water -- Indian Water Transfers -- The Winters Doctrine -- Obstacles to Indian Water Marketing -- Water Marketing: A Status Report -- Colorado -- Utah -- Arizona -- New Mexico -- California -- Nevada -- Idaho -- Other Western States -- Trends and Prospects -- Part III: A Modest Proposal: Modernizing Water Management in the West |