“The master condition not only of any future developments in the West but of the maintenance and safeguarding of what exists there now, is the development and conservation of water production. Water, which is rigidly limited by the geography and climate, is incomparably more important than all other natural resources in the West put together.”
–Bernard de Voto, quoted in “American Places,” by Wallace Stegner
As elegant a statement as you can find to explain what all the ruckus is about.