California and Water · Episode 3 of 8 · 41 min
The 1922 Deal That Split a River That Didn't Have Enough Water
In 1922 seven states divided the Colorado River into more water than it actually carries, and California built the most engineered water system in human history on that math. The episode follows the machine: the Bureau of Reclamation, the 1922 Compact and its structural deficit, Hoover Dam, the Central Valley Project, and the State Water Project's 444-mile aqueduct lifting water over the Tehachapis.
Who's who
- Francis G. Newlands+1 more episodeNevada congressman behind the 1902 Reclamation Act
- Theodore Roosevelt+14 more episodesPresident who signed the Reclamation Act
- Herbert Hoover+2 more episodesCommerce Secretary who chaired the Colorado River Compact negotiations
- Norris Hundley Jr.Historian of California water and the Compact
- Marc ReisnerJournalist and author of Cadillac Desert
Where it happens
- Hoover Dam, Colorado RiverBuilt 1931-1936, impounding Lake Mead
- Shasta Dam, CaliforniaKeystone of the Central Valley Project
- Oroville Dam, CaliforniaCornerstone of the State Water Project
- Tehachapi Mountains, CaliforniaCrossed by the State Water Project aqueduct
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California+3 more episodesFragile switchboard supplying two-thirds of Californians
Timeline
- June 17, 1902Reclamation Act signed.
- November 24, 1922Colorado River Compact signed near Santa Fe, based on a wet 1905-1922 record.
- 1928Boulder Canyon Project Act authorizes Hoover Dam.
- 1944U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty guarantees Mexico 1.5 million acre-feet annually.
- November 1960Voters ratify the $1.75 billion State Water Project bond.
- 1973First State Water Project water reaches Southern California.
Still debated
Historians split on whether the Compact's flow assumption reflected bad data or bad timing, and estimates of the river's long-run average and structural deficit vary by method. Whether the federal subsidy was worth it is also argued.
← PreviousHow Los Angeles Drained the Owens Valley — and Drowned Hetch HetchyNext →Alfalfa, Almonds, and Why Saudi Cows Drink California Water
Connected episodes in other series
The Doctrine of Domination: Why America Dammed the WestRivers Reborn · Episode 2Also features Francis G. Newlands, Theodore Roosevelt
Through the AirCan You Hear Me Now · Episode 7Also features Herbert Hoover
The Suppression BargainFire Returns to My Backyard · Episode 4Also features Theodore Roosevelt
How the U.S. Manufactured Panama in 1903 — a Treaty No Panamanian SignedPanama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 8Also features Theodore Roosevelt