Items related to Rivers by Design: State Power and the Origins of U.S....
Synopsis
The United States has one of the largest and costliest flood control systems in the world, even though only a small proportion of its land lies in floodplains. Rivers by Design traces the emergence of the mammoth U.S. flood management system, which is overseen by the federal government but implemented in conjunction with state governments and local contractors and levee districts. Karen M. O’Neill analyzes the social origins of the flood control program, showing how the system initially developed as a response to the demands of farmers and the business elite in outlying territories. The configuration of the current system continues to reflect decisions made in the nineteenth century and early twentieth. It favors economic development at the expense of environmental concerns.
O’Neill focuses on the creation of flood control programs along the lower Mississippi River and the Sacramento River, the first two rivers to receive federal flood control aid. She describes how, in the early to mid-nineteenth century, planters, shippers, and merchants from both regions campaigned for federal assistance with flood control efforts. She explains how the federal government was slowly and reluctantly drawn into water management to the extent that, over time, nearly every river in the United States was reengineered. Her narrative culminates in the passage of the national Flood Control Act of 1936, which empowered the Army Corps of Engineers to build projects for all navigable rivers in conjunction with local authorities, effectively ending nationwide, comprehensive planning for the protection of water resources.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
"Masterfully weaving historical details, Karen M. O'Neill traces the unanticipated expansion of the federal government's role in 'controlling' the Mississippi and Sacramento rivers. In this era of rising hurricane-induced floodwaters, she offers deep insight into the tensions between local and national agencies, and between the state and private interests."--Allan Schnaiberg, coauthor of "Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development"
About the Author
Karen M. O’Neill is Assistant Professor of Human Ecology and an associate member of the Graduate Program in Sociology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherDuke University Press Books
- Publication date2006
- ISBN 10 0822337606
- ISBN 13 9780822337607
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages304
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Rivers by Design: State Power and the Origins of U.S. Flood Control
Published by
Duke University Press Books, 2006
ISBN 10: 0822337606
ISBN 13: 9780822337607
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Good - Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name - GOOD Standard-sized. Seller Inventory # M0822337606Z3
Quantity: 1 available