The Culture of Water Lecture Series and the Water Resources Program present a free public lecture, "Water As Sacred, Water As Commodity," presented by Dr. Bonnie Colby, Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. in Woodward Hall, rm. 101.
Colby is a professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Hydrology and Water Resources.
No other element embodies both the mystical and practical aspects of human community as fully as water. Revered in the world's great wisdom traditions and yet the subject of countless wars, water presents us with the paradox of conflict and transcendence.
In many parts of the world, water is now traded as a commodity. Water acquisitions and transfers have become an essential tool for maintaining reliable regional water supplies during drought. However, water transfers often create unintended social and environmental problems and require complex negotiations among multiple interests. Transactions that move water from traditional uses and rural communities to support urban sprawl and resort development are a stimulus for bitter conflict.
Innovative transactions can help to restore degraded watersheds and to sustain cultures and communities. Decades of worldwide experience with water transfers have shown that the types of arrangements for transferring water from one use and place to another are limited only by the creativity (and financial resources) of the parties involved.
Colby will discuss the many different aspects of water use during her lecture.
Woodward Hall is Building #82 on the UNM campus map at
Campus Map. Parking is available at the parking structure at the Redondo and Stanford.