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Arizona Water Resource
<br />May - June 2003
<br />Water Resources Self Help for the Non - Professional
<br />Principles of Water Resources: History,
<br />Development, Management, and Policy,
<br />by Thomas V. Cech, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
<br />480 pages, $91.95 hardcover. (For purchasing
<br />information check: www.wiley.com /college/
<br />cech).
<br />One of the generally unrecognized needs
<br />in the water resource field is for a book to
<br />explain water resource principles and prac-
<br />tices to people without a professional background in water. This
<br />would be someone without formal training or work experience in
<br />a water discipline, whether hydrology, law, public policy, etc. With
<br />folks at the local level increasingly valued for their input into
<br />water resource planning and management, such non-profession-
<br />als are taking more active roles in water affairs, as members of
<br />advisory committees, watershed groups or as stakeholders with a
<br />direct interest in the resolution of a water issue.
<br />Theirs is a specialized need, not well served by any current
<br />publication effort. They are often committed, motivated, inter-
<br />ested people who are aware that their on- the - ground experiences
<br />are part of a much larger water resource picture. They likely
<br />realize the need for a broader view of the water resource field,
<br />to understand with greater depth the issues that directly involve
<br />them and also to learn about other related water topics of impor-
<br />tance at the state, regional and national levels. What they need is a
<br />good source of background information, to broaden their water
<br />resource frame of reference to include historical, hydrological,
<br />legal, regulatory and other water resource related matters. Where
<br />do such people turn for water information?
<br />In some ways they are provided for, with government of-
<br />ficials and researchers offering their expertise and services. Also
<br />various reports are at hand. The government reports that are
<br />generally available, however, often are narrowly focused, their
<br />designated purpose served by a functional prose. Valuable for
<br />meeting certain objectives, these texts provide a limited contri-
<br />bution to a general water resource education. Web sites offer a
<br />mother lode of water resource information, of varied usefulness.
<br />Those seeking a general background in water resources
<br />might consult "Principles of Water Resources — History, Devel-
<br />opment, Management, and Policy" by Thomas V. Cech. That it is
<br />a textbook might be off putting to some already laboring in the
<br />water resource field. They may go along with the generally held
<br />premise that textbooks are for students in a classroom. Yet the
<br />virtues of this particular textbook broaden its usefulness beyond
<br />the classroom, qualifying it as an excellent general water resource
<br />reference work — although it is unfortunately priced at a high
<br />textbook cost.
<br />By broadly defining the study of water resource as including
<br />"disciplines such as mathematics, science, geography, geology,
<br />biology, political science, meteorology, and even psychology," the
<br />author provides the reader with an appreciation of the rich com-
<br />plexity of water resource studies. Discussions provide sufficient
<br />depth and detail to interest those already knowledgeable in some
<br />aspects of the water resource field. The non - specialists active in
<br />projects and assignments can consult the book to broaden and
<br />deepen their understanding of the tasks at hand, as well as to
<br />view their work in the broader water resource context. The book
<br />will fill in informational gaps and broaden water resource aware-
<br />ness and understanding.
<br />Information is variously presented, to include case studies,
<br />tables, figures, maps, side bars and guest essays. This adds variety
<br />and appeal to the text formatting and enhances readability. Infor-
<br />mation is more accessible. Informative web sites are identified.
<br />A book that needs writing is a water resource guide to Ari-
<br />zona, with specific issues discussed in reference to the state's
<br />unique political, cultural, geological and hydrological conditions.
<br />Such a volume could be directed to a wide readership, from water
<br />professionals to interested citizens. Until that book is written,
<br />"Principles of Water Resources" will serve as a useful reference
<br />work to readers seeking a general water resource education.
<br />USGS Web Site Builds Customized Watershed Maps
<br />Users can log on to a new U.S. Geological Survey web site (http: //
<br />az.water.usgs.gov /rwi -ii /) and build customized maps of some Ari-
<br />zona rural watersheds. USGS, in cooperation with the Arizona De-
<br />partment of Water Resources and Yavapai County, is studying three
<br />contiguous rural areas in Arizona: the upper and middle Verde River
<br />watershed; the Fossil Creek, East Verde River and Tonto Creek wa-
<br />tersheds in the Mogollon Highlands; and the Coconino Plateau.
<br />When web site visitors select a watershed, a shaded relief map
<br />of the area is displayed. They can then select from individual data
<br />layers that include wells, springs, and active streamflow- gaging sta-
<br />tions and display them on the map. Zoom and navigation tools
<br />enable users to scale maps up or down. By clicking on data points,
<br />users can view data available in USGS databases. Different images
<br />(precipitation and geophysical data, or a satellite view of the area)
<br />also can be draped on the maps.
<br />The web site is part of USGS studies under the aegis of the
<br />Arizona Rural Watershed Initiative program, administered by the
<br />ADWR, to help rural areas of the state address water - related issues
<br />and concerns. USGS studies are designed to yield a better under-
<br />standing of the hydrologic systems in the study areas.
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