The Army Corps Takes Orders

Abstract

Colonel Michael DeBow, district engineer for the Albuquerque District, US Army Corps of Engineers, stands in full uniform in front of an angry Hispanic crowd in the Abiquiu elementary school gym. It is fall 1992, and he has just arrived for a two-year rotation as head of the Corps in this region. He has convened this public meeting in an effort to reach out to the members of the community and inform them of the agency’s activities in the area. Specifically, he wants the local ranchers and irrigators to understand the problems at Abiquiu Reservoir. It is the responsibility of the Corps, he says, to provide a safe environment for recreational users, but the reservoir is crowded, and there are increasing conflicts between these users of the public waters of the United States and local residents. Can the community help the federal government protect these swimmers, boaters, and jet-skiers?