Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West

Environmental journalist and former rafting guide Hansman explores the issues surrounding water rights and usage in the West. The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado River, provides water for ranchers, river towns, energy extraction, fisheries, recreation, and far-distant cities. Sharing the history and exploration of the Green River, the author explains the complicated series of laws that have historically allocated water rights. In order to offer a complete picture of river usage, Hansman interviews experts on water, weather, and climate, as well as stakeholders from ranchers to employees of rafting companies. While doing so, she undertakes a mostly solo inflatable raft journey down the river from its beginning in Wyoming to its confluence with the Colorado River in Utah, rafting through ranches, beautiful canyons, desert, natural gas fields, and national monuments to experience the waterway for herself. Presenting the varied positions of the specialists and stakeholders, Hansman contemplates how our usage must change owing to a dwindling water supply.