Water in the Western United States

MODULE 0. Course Introduction and Course Basics  
Lecture 1: How the Class Works
Lecture 2: Why Study Water in the Western US?
Lecture 3: Overview of the Water Cycle
Lecture 4: Major Physical Geography and Social Characteristics of River Basins in the Western US

MODULE 1. History, Politics, and Culture of Water Development in the Western US
Lecture 1: History of Water Development in the West
Lecture 2: Native American Tribes and Water
Lecture 3: Water Storage and Delivery Infrastructure
Lecture 4: The Prior Appropriation System
Lecture 5: Interstate Water Conflicts and Agreements
Lecture 6: Environmental Flows; Water and the Endangered Species Act

MODULE 2. Hydrology, Water Demand, and Climate in the Western US
Lecture 1: Climate in the Western US and Its Impact on Water Resources
Lecture 2: Water Quality, Aquatic Habitat, and Drinking Water
Lecture 3: Groundwater Resources
Lecture 4: Watershed Impacts
Lecture 5: River and Flash Flooding
Lecture 6: Water Demand for Agriculture
Lecture 7: Water Demand for Urban Areas
Lecture 8: Impacts of Climate Change in the Interior West

MODULE 3. Case Study: The Colorado River Basin
Lecture 1: Geographic and Physical Overview of the Colorado River Basin
Lecture 2: History of Development of the Colorado River Basin: The Era of Big Dams
Lecture 3: Climate and the Colorado River Basin: Past, Present, and Future
Lecture 4: The Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study
Lecture 5: Human Control vs. Natural Variability: The Grand Canyon Experimental Flows Program

MODULE 4. Controversial Water Issues in Depth and Course Conclusion
Lecture 1: Science, Management, and Reality: The Story of the California Bay Delta
Lecture 2: Doing More With Less: Water Conservation and New Supplies in Las Vegas
Lecture 3: A Growing Controversy: Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Supplies
Lecture 4: Understanding Water Quality Impacts: Boulder Creek Case Study
Lecture 5: The Water-Energy Nexus
Lecture 6: What Does the Future Hold? Climate Change, Growing Populations, and Solutions for the Future
Lecture 7: Course Conclusion

• Anne Gold - Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
• Eric Gordon - Western Water Assessment