Archived Water News Headlines | Historical Interest Stories

Water in the West: The Past and Present Challenges of Surviving in an Arid Land (National Public Radio, August 26-29, 2003) - America's westward expansion fulfilled the Jeffersonian dream of a nation that spanned coast to coast, but it also created a lasting dilemma: How do you create towns and cities that can survive and thrive in a region with scarce water resources? Early homesteaders saw their agrarian dreams dashed against a desert landscape. Even today, the region struggles to find the water needed to quench the thirst of agriculture, industry and fast-growing cities. NPR kicks off a year-long look at
"Water in the West" with a four-part series on All Things Considered. Covered in the series:

• John Wesley Powell's Vision (shown in image)
• Colorado River
• Water Rights
• Water as Cash Crop

The St. Francis Dam Disaster Anniversary of Second-Worst Disaster in California History (03/12/03 - National Public Radio) - It was around midnight, 75 years ago tonight, that Southern California suffered one of the worst disasters in the state's history -- second only to the earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco in 1906. (Article includes photos)