Precious commodity : providing water for America's cities / Martin V. Melosi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Melosi, Martin V., 1947- author.

Series:

History of the urban environment.

History of the urban environment

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Water-supply--United States.

Water-supply.

Water use--United States.

Water use.

City planning--United States.

City planning.

Cities and towns--United States.

Cities and towns.

Urbanization--Environmental aspects.

Urbanization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (305 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2011]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

As an essential resource, water has been the object of warfare, political wrangling, and individual and corporate abuse. It has also become an object of commodification, with multinational corporations vying for water supply contracts in many countries. In Precious Commodity, Martin V. Melosi examines water resources in the United States and addresses whether access to water is an inalienable right of citizens, and if government is responsible for its distribution as a public good. Melosi provides historical background on the construction, administration, and adaptability of water supply and wastewater systems in urban America. He cites budgetary constraints and the deterioration of existing water infrastructures as factors leading many municipalities to seriously consider the privatization of their water supply. Melosi also views the role of government in the management of, development of, and legal jurisdiction over America's rivers and waterways for hydroelectric power, flood control, irrigation, and transportation access. Looking to the future, he compares the costs and benefits of public versus private water supply, examining the global movement toward privatization.

Contents:

Intro

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Water-Truly a Precious Commodity

Chapter One: "Improving" Rivers in America: From the Revolution to the Progressive Era

Chapter Two: How Bad Theory Can Lead to Good Technology: Water Supply and Sewerage in the Age of Miasmas

Chapter Three: Pure and Plentiful: The Development of Modern Waterworks in the United States, 1880-2000

Chapter Four: The Environmental Impact of the Big Dam Era

Chapter Five: Private Water: The Curious Case of San Jose's Water Supply

Chapter Six: The Historical Significance of Houston's Buffalo Bayou

Chapter Seven: Houston's Public Sinks: Water and Wastewater Services-Local Concerns to Regional Challenges

Chapter Eight: Privatization of Water: U.S. and Worldwide Implications

Conclusion: The Question of Control

Further Reading

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-209) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780822977766

0822977761

OCLC:

793341722