More enthusiastic was Marc Reisner, the author of "Cadillac Desert," a seminal book on the environmental cost of Western water projects.

Marc Reisner, an environmental writer and advocate best known for his book "Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water," died on Friday at his home in San Anselmo, Calif.

"Cadillac Desert" (Viking Penguin, 1986) was a seminal work about the environmental cost of Western water projects.

Last year "Cadillac Desert" was 61st on a list selected by a panel from the Modern Library, a division of Random House, of the 100 best nonfiction books written in English during the 20th century.

Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water.

It has been involved in a number of controversies and media portrayals over the years, including the 1928 St. Francis Dam failure and the books Water and Power and Cadillac Desert.

"I think the bureau realized that if it didn't change, it was doomed," said Marc Reisner, the author of "Cadillac Desert," a book about water development in the West.

Based on Marc Reisner's 1986 book, from which the series draws its title, "Cadillac Desert" uses the author and other observers to describe the battles over water rights.

The first three episodes are based on Marc Reisner's book, Cadillac Desert (1986), that delves into the history of water use and misuse in the American West.

"Cadillac Desert: the American West and its Disappearing Water".