January Virtual Meeting: Book Discussion

Save the date for our Women of Water January Meeting (virtual event), where we’ll discuss the powerful book: Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River

Relax over the holidays and the cold days of January with this engaging book, giving yourself a chance to better understand water rights issues in the West. You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon at this link:

Where the Water Goes: Paperback book, audio book, and kindle download.

David Owen's Where the Water Goes explores the intricate journey of the Colorado River, revealing how water is managed, distributed, and consumed across the American West. The book highlights the competing demands of cities, agriculture, and ecosystems, shedding light on the complexities of water scarcity and policy. For women working in water, it underscores the critical role of sustainable water management in addressing challenges like equitable resource distribution, climate resilience, and community well-being. Owen's narrative serves as a reminder of the importance of informed decision-making in ensuring a secure water future, making it a valuable resource for those shaping the field.

Take some time over the holiday to read, or listen, to the book, looking for the following points he makes:

• Relationships between structures like dams and the natural ecosystems they impact
• Case studies of challenges caused by decades-old agreements
• Water usage decisions and their impact on the environment
• The dilemma of Lake Mead and Lake Powell and how they added more water storage but created wars over water rights and environmental concerns
• The 1922 Colorado River Compact and its controversial division of water between the upper and lower basins.
• How the Colorado’s flow was overestimated when the Compact was written, resulting in the chronic overallocation of water with the water deficit leading to ongoing water wars

Then join us for an engaging lunchtime discussion. Bring your thoughts and questions!

Date: Wednesday, January 29, noon - 1 p.m. MST

Please RSVP by emailing womenofwater@gmail.com

The event link will be sent out the day of the event to those who RSVP.

Behind the Scenes Tour of Polar Bear Exhibit

For our September meeting, we went behind the scenes at the Polar Bear exhibit at the Hogle Zoo.

We were privileged to tour the Rocky Shores exhibit at Hogle Zoo. The behind the scenes look included the pumphouse and the aquarium. We learned about their water use and conservation efforts. After the tour, we were free to roam the zoo.

Tour of Deer Creek Reservoir Intake Project

In July, we had a tour of the Deer Creek Intake Project! Staff engineers from Provo River Water Users Association and AE2S walked us through the project mid-construction. It features innovative construction techniques including using skilled divers for construction under water

August Meeting: Film Discussion

Save the date for our Women of Water August Meeting (virtual event), where we’ll discuss the powerful documentary: Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal.

Here's the trailer: Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal - Trailer

This documentary was produced by American Experience and released for streaming this spring. It recounts a classic tale from the early days of environmental awareness, offering valuable insights for today's water quality challenges, told in an engaging way. A group of women became the faces of environmental reform. (Talk about drama: the women even go so far as to take two EPA members hostage!)

The description from the PBS website says: "Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal tells the dramatic and inspiring story of the ordinary women who fought against overwhelming odds for the health and safety of their families. In the late 1970s, residents of Love Canal, a working-class neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, discovered that their homes, schools and playgrounds were built on top of a former chemical waste dump, which was now leaking toxic substances and wreaking havoc on their health. Through interviews with many of the extraordinary housewives turned activists, the film shows how they effectively challenged those in power, forced America to reckon with the human cost of unregulated industry, and created a grassroots movement that galvanized the landmark Superfund Bill."

Watch the full video (1:52:30) streaming on YouTube by using this link:

Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal | Full Documentary | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS

Then join us for an engaging lunchtime discussion. Bring your thoughts and questions!

Date: Wednesday, August 28, noon - 1 p.m. MST

Please RSVP by emailing womenofwater@gmail.com

The event link will be sent out the day of the event to those who RSVP.