Social, Political, and Institutional Setting: Water Management Problems of the Rio Grande
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 135, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper discusses various water management issues facing federal, state, and local agencies charged with managing the water resources of the Rio Grande River Basin and its major tributaries. The Rio Grande—3,058 km long—is the fourth longest river in the United States. The river's basin is and for roughly two-thirds of its length it forms the United States–Mexican border. It is a major recreational resource providing world class trout fishing near its headwaters in Colorado's San Juan Mountains and shoreline, angling, and boating opportunities near the Colorado–New Mexico border. The Rio Grande is the principal tourist attraction of Big Bend National Park and flows through downtown Albuquerque and El Paso. Many reaches are wide and broad, but almost all are relatively shallow and not navigable by commercial ships. Nevertheless, it is one of the most important renewable water resources of the southwestern United States and North America. The issue of the “manageability” of the river in the face of social forces and disparate administrative jurisdictions that adversely impact Rio Grande flows is a thread linking various sections of the paper together. The length of the river; the fact that major reaches lie in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas; and its unique role as an international boundary pose complex management problems. The allocation status quo formed by the complex nexus of existing river laws make it difficult to reshape Rio Grande management.
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 135 • Issue 6 • November 2009
Pages: 493 - 501
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 25, 2007
Accepted: Apr 21, 2009
Published online: Oct 15, 2009
Published in print: Nov 2009
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