Abstract

This article analyzes the Colorado River Salinity Control Act (1974) from international, regional (Colorado River Basin), and local (Yuma County) perspectives. While the Nixon administration simply wanted appropriations to build a desalination plant near Yuma, Arizona, in order to respond to Mexican complaints of saline river water south of the border, regional (U.S.) leaders used the legislation to obtain additional salinity control measures that would ostensibly conserve the Colorado River Basin’s shrinking water supply. The article also examines the efforts of farmers, municipal leaders, and Quechan natives in Yuma County to shape the legislation to their advantage.

Keywords: Environmental politics, Colorado River Delta, Yuma County, U.S.-Mexican Relations, Quechan Indians, desalination

How to Cite:

Ward, E. R., (1999) ““The Politics of Place”: Domestic and Diplomatic Priorities of the Colorado River Salinity Control Act (1974)”, Journal of Political Ecology 6(1), 31-56. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/v6i1.21422