The culture of flushing : a social and legal history of sewage / Jamie Benidickson; foreword by Graeme Wynn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Benidickson, Jamie.

Contributor:

Wynn, Graeme.

Series:

Nature, history, society.

Nature, history, society, 1713-6687

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sewage--Social aspects--History.

Sewage.

Sewage--Law and legislation--History.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 404 p. ; 24 cm.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Vancouver : UBC Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

To most, the flush of a toilet is routine: the way we banish waste and ensure cleanliness. It is safe, efficient, necessary, nonpolitical, and utterly unremarkable. Yet Jamie Benidickson's examination of the social and legal history of sewage in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom demonstrates that the uncontroversial reputation of flushing is deceptive. The Culture of Flushing is particularly relevant in a time when community water quality can no longer be taken for granted, as it investigates and clarifies the murky evolution of waste treatment. The Culture of Flushing is essential reading for specialists in environmental history, environmental law, public health, engineering, and public policy. Those concerned with protecting water quality and the environment will also find it unique, comprehensive, and accessible.

Contents:

The advantage of a flow of water

Navigating aquatic priorities

A source of civic pride

The water closet revolution

Municipal evacuation

Learning to live downstream

The bacterial assault on local government

The dilutionary impulse at Chicago

Separating water from the waterways

Streams are nature's sewers

Riparian resurrection

Governing water.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 391-394) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-59331-5

9786612593314

0-7748-5553-3

OCLC:

923445169