After pushing through initial research difficulties, Chinese data being much harder to gather than U.S. data, information that I had not previously been aware of surfaced. For example, Mao Zedong, chairman during China’s Communist Revolution, was greatly influenced by the intense dam building period in the U.S., including the construction of the Hoover Dam. This influence inspired many of China’s major surface water projects that have already been completed, as well as the potential South-North Transfer system. Additionally, I had not formerly realized that this transfer consists of three very distinct routes: Eastern, Western, and Central. The Brahmaputra is incorporated into the Western plan. Knowing this could more specifically focus the next step in my research. Furthermore, Chinese policies regarding water management were largely based off of the Prior Appropriation and Riparian doctrines of the U.S.. This could also help direct my research in terms of comparisons.
Investigations by Lydia Bleifuss