Water

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I've absorbed a few ideas about water thus far in life. I grew up hiking in the coastal reserves on the Atlantic Ocean in Connecticut, the abundant expanse of water overwhelming in its scope. For my Master's dissertation, I analyzed and scrutinized a river with a famous name, the Colorado River [see "The Coveted" gallery]. This river, however, flows from the rolling high plains of western Texas, through the metropolis of Austin and the paddies of rice country, to the estuarine...
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I've absorbed a few ideas about water thus far in life. I grew up hiking in the coastal reserves on the Atlantic Ocean in Connecticut, the abundant expanse of water overwhelming in its scope. For my Master's dissertation, I analyzed and scrutinized a river with a famous name, the Colorado River [see "The Coveted" gallery]. This river, however, flows from the rolling high plains of western Texas, through the metropolis of Austin and the paddies of rice country, to the estuarine waters of Matagorda Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. Like many rivers we know in the West, this other Colorado River has many straws drawing upon it.

Water is remarkably necessary. But I've learned that there are many definitions of necessary and--most strikingly--what is meant by the term conservation. Here in the West, the value of water is just as often measured in dollars as it is in delight. Here, the word conservation has meant, for many years, the use of water such that nary a drop is "wasted" by flowing by unused.

You may have heard that a fight over water might be coming to a western state near you and, indeed, many parts of the world. If you are interested in learning about the breathtaking tragedy that can strike when communities invest their futures and fortunes on the prospect of rain-fed irrigation channels, look down under. Australians of the Murray-Darling Basin are facing a great tragedy which can be read about in the April 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine.

But then there's the value of water measured by delight. I'd like to focus our attention on the wonders of water. So, while we'll touch upon some of the concerns that face our state, our emphasis will remain on the pleasures of the quiet creeks, the roaring brooks, the cascades and rivers of Colorado that we should all enjoy.
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