Freshwater Issues: A Reference Handbook

by Zachary A. Smith, Grenetta Thomassey

Battles have been fought, lives have been lost, countries divided-and all for one reason-water. "Freshwater Issues" provides a quick education in the basics and essential issues of freshwater management. From water supply and resource information to the role of water in ecosystems, the coverage also provides global water data, examines uncertainties about future water supplies, and addresses technological advances in the development of water resources and environmental safeguards.

Thorough treatment is given to water rights, allocation issues, and U.S. water laws and their many regional variations. This is followed by an explanation of the economics of water, from ownership and pricing to social impact and discussions of often-conflicting public, environmental, and private interests. The war over water has just begun.

296 pages, Hardcover

First published April 23, 2003

About the author

Zachary Alden Smith, Ph.D., (b.1953) is a Regent's Professor at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ). He lectures on public administration and policy, environmental policy and law, and American politics.