The Western U.S. is in the grip of a punishing drought. Reservoir levels are dropping, and farmers are struggling to ensure water access for their crops and livestock. Consider California. Without water access, one of the nation’s largest states could lose up to $2.2 billion in revenue – and let’s not forget the strain on an already fragile climate. Some scientists even fear that Americans have reached “peak water” in the West. In this episode, we’re looking at how Americans have managed access to water throughout our history. From early legal struggles over natural waterways to the shared irrigation systems of New Mexico, we’ll consider how Americans have divided up water rights for private profit and public good. We’ll explore how ideas about usage shifted as the country expanded into the water-scarce West. And we’ll even take a dip into the debate over who could use swimming pools in the 1920s.
