Dam Politics Restoring America's Rivers

About this book

American rivers are suffering from poor water quality, altered flows, and diminished natural habitat. Current efforts by policymakers to change the ways American rivers are managed range from the removal of dams to the simulation of seasonal flows to the restoration of habitat, all with varying degrees of success. Lowry looks at how public policy and rivers interact, examines the physical differences in rivers that affect policies, and analyzes the political differences among the groups that use them. He argues that we are indeed moving into an era of restoration, and seeks to understand the political circumstances that affect the degree of restoration.

Contents

Going down to rivers : the possibility of a journey to restoration -- Testing the waters : the types of possible changes -- Launching the trip : into a new era in American rivers -- Getting in the strong current : embracing new goals -- Scouting the rapids : learning for the future -- Waiting out the storms : opportunities and challenges -- Keeper holes : difficult problems to solve.

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Biography

William R. Lowry is an associate professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a U.S. Navy veteran and has worked as a seasonal ranger in Yosemite National Park. An avid outdoorsman, Lowry has canoed, rafted, swam in, or hiked along nearly every river discussed in Dam Politics.