A Modest Proposal

Below, feel free to read my research proposal:

Water showcases the power of humans—the power to govern, the power to industrialize, the power to contain and control.  We have dammed it and channeled it, we have appropriated it and promised it, we have bought and sold it, leased and loaned it.  We have piped it through mountains and deserts; we have used it to grow industry and agriculture where it would have otherwise been impossible.  And just as water reveals our power, it also betrays our dependence at a most basic level.  All things living rely on water for life, and this core dependence has shaped generations that have treasured the sacredness of water.  Individuals value water beyond its role as a commodity.  As humans have utilized water to meet our personal, agricultural, and industrial needs, we have aggravated a strain between its societal commodification and individual singularization, the extents and limits to which any commodity can be bought and sold. 

In Colorado, this relationship between society and individuals is exemplified by hydraulic fracturing (fracking), its use of water, and the potential threats it poses to water quality and the people dependent on it. Fracking is water intensive, as a mixture of water, chemicals, and sand is pushed far below the surface of the earth to release petroleum and natural gas.   By exploring the societal structures and personal interests involved in fracking and water use, I will evaluate the relationship between societal commodification and individual singularization of water in Colorado.  For eight weeks during the summer I will investigate Colorado’s commodification of water through business, policy, and law as well as citizens’ personal connections to water through tradition, stories, and experiences.  

I have grown increasingly interested in people’s relationship with water in the past year through my Geography and International Studies classes, which have allowed me to connect international theory and environmental issues.  Additionally, after a recent (2012) research project that used interviewing and surveying to investigate reforestation and community development in Northern Mongolia, I have gained experience applying a cultural lens to international and environmental issues.  I am ready to apply my background and theoretical interests to issues of increasing importance such as water use, energy, and conservation which also directly impact my life and the lives of people around me.  This project incorporates a wide range of disciplines, and it will be successful because its foundations draw from established sources and scholarly work while combining them with an original, localized application.

Because my project incorporates international theory, regional law and industry, and personal experience, I will use secondary research to investigate a wider application of laws and theories, and I will use primary interviews and surveys in order to gather localized and individual information.  I will also identify two Colorado counties—one of which has experienced accidents attributed to fracking and one which has not—in order to juxtapose experiences of people with water under potential threat and those without it at a regional level.  These counties will act as case studies upon which I can extrapolate future implications for the relationship between fracking and water use in Colorado and create a balanced and thorough final report.

In order to evaluate Colorado’s commodification of water, I will first review Colorado water law and policy in order to understand Colorado’s history of water appropriation, especially in regards to mining and industry.  To gain a better understanding of the tensions in creating water law I will interview stakeholders who develop the law and are impacted by it, including planning and zoning commissions and county commissioners, Colorado’s major gas companies who buy and lease water rights to use for fracking, and environmental interests.  By gathering information about government and business through literature and interviews, I will be able to create an evaluation of the societal commodification of water. 

Through interviews and surveys with citizens in each respective county, I will investigate the singularization of water by individuals in Colorado.  These investigative means will allow me to question the boundaries Coloradans believe limit the commodification of water and learn the cultural significance and personal importance Coloradans place on water, especially when water as a resource appears threatened. Through interviews, I aim to gather individuals’ stories and experiences in order to compile a narrative to describe the processes people use to create personal meaning and significance for the water on which they are so intimately dependent.  I will use this process of singularization to evaluate the tensions between it and the societal structures which have commoditized water in Colorado, and I will gain a better understanding of the relationship between the two.

My research will culminate in a written report which I will present in the spring to the Undergraduate Research Symposium and make available to various stakeholders and interests.   I will conduct my research in June, July, and August, and because of my work with human subjects, I will apply for IRB approval in April. This summer research project represents a unique opportunity to investigate an intricate relationship between society, individuals, and water, and I will do this investigation independently, with support from my faculty partner.  My faculty partner will help me submit my research project for IRB approval, connect me with research materials focused particularly on environmental, water, and energy issues, will stay in touch over the summer to stay updated on my progress, and review my final report. 

Because of humans’ ultimate dependence upon Earth’s water, it is imperative that we explore our intricate relationship with it.  As fossil fuels become harder to access, fracking is likely to become a more popular and viable strategy for energy, and the need for water and water rights will increase.  This demand will strain against the decreasing availability of water, and understanding the societal extent of water’s commodification and the individual processes of singularization will be important in creating balanced laws and policies regarding fracking and water use in Colorado. My summer research project will take investigatory steps in building that understanding and will prove a valuable tool for Colorado policy makers, industrialists, and environmentalists in future water management and decision-making.