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OF ALL THE NATURAL RESOURCES that bless the United States, none is more important than its water. The Nation's rivers and streams provide vital navigation links, hydropower, fishing, recreation, and water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use. At the same time, they occasionally overrun towns and farms, destroy property, threaten livelihoods, and lives.

Perhaps nowhere in the country have the conflicting purposes of water development stimulated more studies, engineering responses, and public involvement than in Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin -- that includes the largest river basin swamp in North America. Since the early nineteenth century, all levels of government have been involved. The Corps of Engineers' part in the basin's development includes providing flood control and maintaining navigable channels. Today, the Atchafalaya Basin serves as a major floodway to convey Mississippi River water to the Gulf of Mexico.

In this history, Dr. Reuss tells the complicated, but fascinating story of how local, state, and federal agencies have attempted to reconcile conflicting visions for the basin. In so doing, he illuminates the interaction of politics, technology, and environment. Though focusing on one area of the country, this book addresses many themes associated with the development of water resources throughout the United States.

DR. MARTIN REUSS is a Senior Historian in the Office of History, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He specializes in history of flood control, navigation, and civil engineering. Among his publications are Shaping Environmental Awareness: The United States Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board, 1970-1980 and Reshaping National Water Politics: The Emergence of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986.