略论水利设施对美国西部开发的重大意义

在美国西部开发过程，兴修水利、解决干旱，开始是农户个人和私人企业的行动，由于自发行为具有许多负面因素，最后不得不由联邦政府出面兴建大型的水利设施。这些水利设施在西部开发中所起的重要作用，说明美国联邦政府在解决大范围干旱地区的缺水问题上起了积极作用。这对我国目前进行的西部开发具有重要的借鉴意义。

The Importance of Water Irrigation Works in the Development of the American West

This article discusses one of the most important problems in the process of development of the American West-- to fight drought and build water irrigation works, and shows that the federal government played an important role in solving the problem of the deficiency in water resources in a broad range of dry areas.