Cadillac Desert Kovar - Grade: A PDF

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Professor Costello HUM 130 11 April 2018 Cadillac Desert The four part series, Cadillac Desert, outlines the creation of the West’s groundwork on water expansion and development. It highlights the environmental changes, as well as, the initiation of policy surrounding water conservation and clean energy. Beginning with “Mulholland’s Dream,” Cadillac Desert follows the West on it’s journey through drought, increasing irrigation, and environmental depletion. The vision of the West came to light when Mulholland began creating ways to bring water to LA. Soon, LA was supplied by numerous aqueducts, and the new development brought many to it’s luxurious city. Mulholland was inventive, but “only ten years after Mulholland finished his aqueduct with a fourfold surplus, LA was running out of water” (Mulholland’s Dream). The citizens blamed him for his creativity, and California had to begin to conserve water “in a way the world had never seen before” (Mulholland’s Dream). Transitioning from the drought in the West, new energy sources had to be developed. Hydroelectric energy was a sought after source because of the fact that it was “the only truly clean energy, because of its renewable properties” (An American Nile). Aside from renewable energy, money was put into building damns surrounding the Colorado River. Although it seemed like a win for conservation, the Colorado River’s water supply was greatly abused.

Kovar !2 Part 3 of Cadillac Desert outlines the creation of the Central Valley Canals which were a series of damns, canals, and energy sources that helped to alter the way California received its water. “CVP canals transformed the valley into the Breadbasket of the world” (The Mercy of Nature). Although the dramatic change of central valley canals emanated, there was a struggle with poisoning of water from irrigation systems. Many farms got their water from government subsides to continue irrigation of their smaller farms. The “poisons from the intensive water and irrigation were deforming” (The Mercy of Nature). Birds and other creates suffered from the selenium concentrations in the water. It was described as similar to the Thalidomide effect on babies in Europe. Although this was a detriment to the West, there was a solution, unlike the conservation of the earth’s water. The last part of Cadillac Desert focuses on the publics involvement in environmental movements. Projects like Mulholland’s aqueducts, and so forth “were built with almost no environmental consideration at all” (Last Oasis). There was an increasing urge to conserve water, and that vision is still highly prominent in today’s times. Overall, throughout the four parts of Cadillac Desert, the creation and destruction of the natural environment can be tracked an outlined back to the early 1900’s. The contributions made by Mulholland, the government, and the public have greatly shaped the West’s water infrastructure.

Kovar !3 Works Cited “Mulholland’s Dream.” Cadillac Desert. Directed by Jon Else. KTEH, 1997. “An American Nile.” Cadillac Desert. Directed by Jon Else. KTEH, 1997. “The Mercy of Nature.” Cadillac Desert. Directed by Jon Else. KTEH, 1997. “Last Oasis.” Cadillac Desert. Directed by Jon Else. KTEH, 1997....