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River in Ruin: The Story of the Carmel River
Author(s): Ray A. March (Author)
- Publisher: Bison Books
- Publication Date: 1 April 2012
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 208 pages
- ISBN-10: 0803238347
- ISBN-13: 9780803238343
Book Description
River in Ruin is a precise weaving of water history―local and larger―and a natural, social, and environmental narrative of the Carmel River. Ray A. March traces the river’s misuse from 1879 and details how ever more successful promotions of Monterey demanded more and more water, leading to one dam after another. As a result the river was disastrously depleted, cluttered with concrete rubble, and inhospitable to the fish prized by visitors and residents alike.
March’s book is a cautionary tale about squandering precious water resources―about the ultimate cost of a ruined river and the slim but urgent hope of bringing it back to life.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“March has put forward a clear explanation of how the Carmel River’s problems developed and made a convincing case for urgent action to fix them.”–Eric Brazil,
SFGate— (4/15/2012 12:00:00 AM)“March may not believe he has the answers, but by detailing a 410-year history we shouldn’t forget, he’s certainly showing us some of them. It took him 10 years to write
River in Ruin, but the river’s story over the next five years may prove even more compelling.”–Kera Abraham, Monterey County Weekly— (5/31/2012 12:00:00 AM)“March’s treatment of the history, the politics and the personalities involved is heartfelt and personal; several times he consults diaries and includes individual stories (including his own), making the Carmel’s story resonate with his readers.”–
Shelf Awareness— (4/6/2012 12:00:00 AM)“The Carmel River and its importance in providing water to the residents of the Monterey Peninsula is a topic all locals should be interested in. March does an excellent job of chronicling the ins and outs of how the river’s role has changed over the years, just as its course has sometimes been altered by nature. This very readable and informative paperback is well worth reading.”–Robert Walch,
The Californian— (3/30/2012 12:00:00 AM)“A meticulous history of an endangered waterway. . . . Saturated with facts, March’s account of this threatened river forces readers to reconsider water as a commodity that requires protection.”–Kirkus
— (2/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)
