I have generally been of the opinion that folks "back then" didn't have the information to avoid making bad decisions. They did their best with what was available. The following, sent to me by another ner-do-well, suggests that pleading ignorance ws not a viable excuse even back then.

In their new book Science Be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River, Eric Kuhn and John Fleck explain how even when clear evidence was available that the Colorado River could not sustain ambitious dreaming and planning, river planners and political operatives irresponsibly made the least sustainable and most dangerous long-term decisions. Arguing that the science of the early twentieth century can shed new light on the mistakes at the heart of the over-allocation of the Colorado River, Kuhn and Fleck delve into rarely reported early studies, showing that scientists warned as early as the 1920s that there was not enough water for the farms and cities boosters wanted to build. Contrary to a common myth that the authors of the Colorado River Compact did the best they could with limited information, they show the boosters selectively chose the information needed to support their dreams, ignoring inconvenient science that suggested a more cautious approach.

Just in time for NOF.