Thirsty city : politics, greed, and the making of Atlanta's water crisis / Skye Borden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Borden, Skye, 1984- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Water-supply--Management--Georgia--Atlanta.

Water-supply.

Water consumption--Georgia--Atlanta.

Water consumption.

Water resources development--Georgia--Atlanta.

Water resources development.

Atlanta (Ga.)--Economic conditions.

Atlanta (Ga.).

Atlanta (Ga.)--Politics and government.

Atlanta (Ga.)--Environmental conditions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (203 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : SUNY Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Atlanta is running out of water and is in the midst of a water crisis. Its crumbling infrastructure spews toxic waste and raw sewage into neighboring streams. A tri-state water war between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia has been raging since 1990, with Atlanta caught in the middle; however, the city's problems have been more than a century in the making. In Thirsty City, Skye Borden tells the complete story of how Atlanta's water ran dry. Using detailed historical research, legal analysis, and personal accounts, she explores the evolution of Atlanta's water system as well as charts the poor urban planning decisions that led to the city's current woes. She also uncovers the loopholes in local, state, and federal environmental laws that have enabled urban planners to shirk responsibility for ongoing water quantity and quality problems. From the city's unfortunate location to its present-day debacle, Thirsty City is a fascinating and highly readable account that reveals how Atlanta's quest for water is riddled with shortsighted decisions, unchecked greed, political corruption, and racial animus.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Prologue""; ""1. Life Before the Chattahoochee""; ""2. Tapping the �Hooch""; ""3. Water to the People""; ""4. Taming the Flow""; ""5. Urbanization and its Discontents""; ""6. Suburban Explosion""; ""7. Urban Decay""; ""8. Water War, Part I""; ""9. Water War, Part II""; ""Conclusion""; ""Notes""; ""Works Cited""; ""Index""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781438452807

1438452802

OCLC:

885208205