Water Supply & Land Use Books

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition

Marc Reisner

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> State & Local -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 95 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

this is what i'd been missing? 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Cadillac Desert is a plodding book that spends more time making sideways remarks about its characters than establishing it's own narrative. Plagued by numerous typographical errors, it reads in fits and starts. While its message of government excess and because-we-can justification for modifying the natural landscape is surely worthwhile, if repetitive, the fact of the matter is that two generations of farmers, ranchers and urbanites in the American West looked to the Bureau of Reclamation as the only organization suited to develop their water resources. The dated material is noticeable at times--who but a civil engineer now knows of the Teton Dam failure? why the concern over the Central Arizona Project that has operated for nearly two decades?--and the treatment of the material is done with an eye toward stirring the reader's emotions more than informing them. Donald Worster's Rivers of Empire deals with much the same material in a more thorough and even-handed, though academic, manner.

Editorial Review:

The definitive history of water resources in the American West, and a very illuminating lesson in the political economy of limited resources anywhere. Highly recommended!

Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water

Maude Barlow

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A passionate call to action from one of the leading voices in the global struggle for universal access to the earth's most vital element—a sequel to the acclaimed Blue Gold.

"Life requires access to clean water; to deny the right to water is to deny the right to life."—from the introduction to Blue Covenant

In their international bestseller Blue Gold, Maude Barlow and co-author Tony Clarke exposed how a handful of corporations are gaining ownership and control of the earth's dwindling water supply, depriving millions of people around the world of access to this most basic of resources and accelerating the onset of a global water crisis.

Blue Covenant, the sequel to Blue Gold, describes a powerful response to this trend: the emergence of an international, grassroots-led movement to have water declared a basic human right, something that can't be bought or sold for profit.

World-renowned activist Maude Barlow is at the center of this movement, which is gaining popular and political support across the globe, encompassing protests in India against U.S. bottling giant Coca-Cola; in Bolivia against the water privatization scheme of European water conglomerate Suez; against the use of water meters in South Africa; and over groundwater mining in Barrington, New Hampshire, and dozens of other communities in North America.

With great passion and clarity, Barlow traces the history of these international battles, documents the life-and-death stakes involved in the fight for the right to water, and lays out the actions that we as global citizens must take to secure a water—just world—a "blue covenant"—for all.

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape

Brad Lancaster

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Gardening & Horticulture -> Landscape
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Conservation -> Water
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Conservation -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Not just for drylands 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The concepts described in this book are applicable to all climates. The book is useful to any permaculture practitioner for any climate type. I live in the northeast with 35 inches per year, and it has been helpful to me personally in designing rainwater harvesting systems for my village lot. When is vol. 2 coming out?

I suggest as companion reading "Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use--Includes How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks (Paperback) by Art Ludwig; and also his "The New Create an Oasis With Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systms - Includes Branched Drains (Paperback)". Together you can come up with an irrigation plan for a yard anywhere.

Editorial Review:

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape is the first volume of three-volume guide on how to conceptualize, design, and implement sustainable water-harvesting systems for your home, landscape, and community. This book enables you to assess your on-site resources, gives you a diverse array of strategies to maximize their potential, and empowers you with guiding principles to create an integrated, multi-functional water-harvesting plan specific to your site and needs.

Volume 1 helps bring your site to life, reduce your cost of living, endow you with skills of self-reliance, and create living air conditioners of vegetation growing beauty, food, and wildlife habitat. Stories of people who are successfully welcoming rain into their life and landscape will invite you to do the same!

Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource

Marq de Villiers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Water is a curious thing, observed the economist Adam Smith: although it is vital to life, it costs almost nothing, whereas diamonds, which are useless for survival, cost a fortune. In Water, Canadian journalist de Villiers says the resource is still undervalued, but it is becoming more precious. It's not that the world is running out of water, he adds, but that "it's running out in places where it's needed most."

De Villiers examines the checkered history of humankind's management of water--which, he hastens to remind us, is not a renewable resource in many parts of the world. One of them is the Nile River region, burdened by overpopulation. Another is the Sahara, where Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi is pressing an ambitious, and potentially environmentally disastrous, campaign to mine deep underground aquifers to make the desert green. Another is northern China, where the damaging effects of irrigation have destroyed once-mighty rivers, and the Aral Sea of Central Asia, which was killed within a human lifetime. And still another is the American Southwest, where crops more fitting to a jungle than a dry land are nursed. De Villiers travels to all these places, reporting on what he sees and delivering news that is rarely good.

De Villiers has a keen eye for detail and a solid command of the scientific literature on which his argument is based. He's also a fine storyteller, and his wide-ranging book makes a useful companion to Marc Reisner's classic Cadillac Desert and other works that call our attention to a globally abused--and vital--resource. --Gregory McNamee

North Carolina Waterfalls: A Hiking and Photography Guide

Kevin Adams

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Since its original publication in 1994, North Carolina Waterfalls has been the most comprehensive guide available to one of the prime natural features of the Tar Heel State. This new edition includes over 600 waterfalls, with detailed directions and trail and beauty ratings for the major waterfalls on public land. For the first time, waterfalls located on private land will be listed, although directions won't be provided.

Visitors to western North Carolina are often surprised at the spectacular variety of waterfalls tucked among the Appalachians all the way from Murphy in the southwest to Stone Mountain in the northeast, and surprisingly, even in eastern locations such as Fayetteville and Rocky Mount. This guide features over 100 color and black-and-white photographs showing those waterfalls at their absolute best. Its special section about photographing waterfalls in general, as well as specific hints for photographing each individual waterfall, will help readers create memorable images of their own.

Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit

Vandana Shiva

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Brutal. Brutal brutal brutal. 1 out of 5 stars.
21 of 34 people found this review helpful.

In contrast to what others have written, this book is brutal. It isn't that Ms. Shiva doesn't have passion, she does. It isn't that she cannot write, she can. The book is brutal because it is painfully one-sided, seemingly written for no other reason than to pander to those that think as she does.

While the book highlights examples of water mismanagement, Ms. Shiva's ideology is so apparent one has to wonder what she has left out. For example, she repeatedly mentions the use of a small, electric motor to pump enormous amounts of water far more efficiently that human beings can. Eventually said motor pumps more water than the system can replace and does damage. Fine. While Ms. Shiva notes that the motor does damage, she seems unwilling to address the obvious: the farmer who turned the motor on could just as easily have turned the motor off, thereby avoiding the damage. Instead of working for hours to get water, the farmers could have used the motor to pump only what they needed, saving time and labor for other tasks. While she may have a personal preference to use humans for manual labor, blaming the little motor (and by extension, the modernization involved) is intellectually dishonest.

As another example, she mentions how the evil United States would not approve the Kyoto Treaty. She is right the U.S. has not. Yet she never notes that many people consider Kyoto to be fatally flawed--it exempts China, India, and others from emissions limits. One does not need to accept or deny Kyoto as an example of an efficient or effective solution to global warming, but given the partisan ideology presented in Water Wars, one can never be sure Ms. Shiva presented any information fairly or accurately.

Furthermore, Ms. Shiva continues with such platitudes as, "The corporation's selfish desire for profit causes all the problems; the WTO, World Bank and U.S. are run by corporations; only real democratic community control will solve these problems." The quote is representative of many social critics: argument by cliche--the discourse ends as quickly as it begins. Ms. Shiva often closes her argument in her topic sentences, for example on page 87, "Not only has the World Bank played a major role in the creation of water scarcity and pollution, it is now transforming that scarcity into a market opportunity for water companies." Or comments such as this on page xiii, "This forced apportion of resources from people is a form of terrorism--corporate terrorism." Comments like this suggest Ms. Shiva is unable to persuasively write for change, that she has no real arguments, just partisan ideology. Unfortunately, environmental thinkers like Ms. Shiva may be right. But with writing like this, they will never be heard except by those who already agree.

Sadly, Ms. Shiva also seems focused on spiritual matters at the expense of making her case. For example, she includes a multi-page appendix of the ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT different names for the Ganges River. Frankly, who cares how many names there are? There could be 763 of them--not one of which would matter if the locals drain the river for crops or if Halliburton drains the river and sells it back to them.

As a former physicist, Ms. Shiva would have done her readers a favor and written a fascinating book if she had simply applied the intellectual rigor of her physics training to her thesis--whatever that was. For those that want their ideology reinforced, this book is wonderful. For those trying to learn about the problems concerning water and water usage, there are plenty of other sources that present information without overt ideology and bias. `Nuff said.

Editorial Review:

Vandana Shiva, "the world's most prominent radical scientist" (the Guardian), exposes yet another corporate maneuver to convert a critical world resource into a profitable commodity. Using the global water trade as a lens, she highlights the destruction of the earth and the disenfranchisement of the world's poor as they lose their right to a life-sustaining common good.

The Great Lakes Water Wars

Peter Annin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Lakes Water Wars is an excellent read 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I started out to skim Peter Annin's book, determine what to say, and decide how to write a requested review. I had no trouble becoming completely engrossed at the start of the Author's Note and Prologue, and read the whole thing. Cover to cover. I do not need to abridge all its contents in great detail, nor could I begin to accomplish that task as eloquently, chronologically, and thoroughly as does the author anyway. What's more, the stories presented are fascinating and rapidly ensnare the reader. It will be of value to active professionals, students, politicians, NGO participants, and elected officials as well as to residents of the Great Lakes Basin, and to those who think they can tap into its abundant waters. What's more, it is informative and fun to read.

Editorial Review:

The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic?



Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this globally significant resource.

The Drinking Water Book: How to Eliminate the Most Harmful Toxins from Your Water

Colin Ingram

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The best drinking water book you can buy 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 24 people found this review helpful.

This book is well named, since it is the definitive book on drinking water. It includes extensive information on water contaminants, water testing, bottled water, and home purification systems. The information is well-researched, easy to read, and well-formatted, with simple charts and diagrams supplementing the text where necessary. I bought several books on drinking water at the same time, and this one was clearly superior to all the others. Don't waste time and money; buy this book first!

A Candid Review by the Author 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I wrote this book because after extensive communication with government agencies, universities, non-profit organizations and private sector manufacturers, I simply could not find objective information about drinking water safety and consumer options. Since I have been a professional writer and editor for over four decades, I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself. I spent five years researching material for this book and I have no axes to grind; just the desire for truth. This is the 2nd edition of this book. The 1st edition was hailed as the definitive consumer book on drinking water, and I believe this book is even better. You'll find that it contains the most objective, complete and easy-to-understand information on drinking water that is available, and this opinion has been confirmed by many authorities in the field of drinking water safety. Thanks for your time, Colin Ingram.

Editorial Review:

THE DRINKING WATER BOOK takes a level-headed look at the serious issues surrounding America’s drinking water supply. Unlike water purifier manufacturers and public health officials, Ingram presents unbiased reporting on what’s in your water and how to drink safely. Featuring all the latest scientific research, the book evaluates the different kinds of filters and bottled waters and rates specific products on the market.

Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water

Maude Barlow, Tony Clarke

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A real-life thriller about the corporate takeover of our most basic resource.

In a shocking exposé, Blue Gold shows why, as the vice president of the World Bank has pronounced, "The wars of the next century will be about water."

Increasingly, transnational corporations are plotting to control the world's dwindling water supply. In England and France, where water has already been privatized, rates have soared and water shortages have been severe. The major bottled-water companies—Perrier, Evian, Naya, and now Coca-Cola and PepsiCo—head one of the fastest growing and least regulated industries, buying up fresh water rights and drying up crucial reserves. Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, two of the most active opponents to this trend, show how the corporate giants act in their own interest and how, contrary to received wisdom, water flows uphill to the wealthy who can afford it.

The consumption of water doubles every twenty years—more than twice the rate of the increase in human population. Blue Goldcaptures in striking detail the forces behind the depletion of the world's fresh water, and the human and ecological impacts it entails.

Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration

Tim Matson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Earth Ponds 3 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I was looking for more techinical and not so wordy reading. It was interesting reading in a Walden's Pond sort of way. I want to build a pond myself and have the equipment to do it. But wanted to know How the big boys do it.

Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration 2 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

i was looking for a book to help me design and build a pond, this book was more of a story, with a few helpful idea's.

Ponds 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is applies to northern ponds more than southern ponds. We do not ice over nor do we put trout in our ponds because of the warm waters. It is a good book for what it applies to.

Serves a Purpose 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a lovely, dreamy little book with some great black and white photos. It's perfect reading for a winter's night or for fostering fantasies. It's also a pretty good place to start before you call the county agent or start knocking on the doors of pond-owning neighbors.
It's perfectly true that some of Matson's writing is way over the top ("I wake up from a nightmare of valkyries swooping down out of the sun") and the illustrations are not enough to talk you through the whole process, but this could be the book that gets you started and that's worth quite a bit.

Editorial Review:

There is nothing like a pond! What else can simultaneously increase your aesthetic pleasure, offer recreational opportunities, help the environment, and increase the value of your land? This is the recognized standard on ponds, now expanded to include a comprehensive guide to living happily with your completed pond and keeping it perpetually healthy. Here is everything you need to know about planning, digging, sculpting, and maintaining your pond.