Water for Life: Water Management and Environmental Policy

Description

Successful water management is crucial for the proper operation of natural environmental systems and for the support of human society. These two aspects are interdependent, but decisions about one are often made without regard to effects upon the other. A persistent challenge is to consider them together. This book is the first to fully analyze the relationship between water management, environmental conditions and public policy. It combines a careful review of the character and evolution of water management and evaluates management from the standpoint of the quality of the natural environment. Topics covered include domestic and industrial water supply and waste disposal, groundwater use, river channel and floodplain management, and integrated river basins. The processes of social decision-making are examined against a backdrop of plant-soil-water-ecosystem relationships and ecosystem change. Examples are drawn from around the world, from local watershed management to international river basin planning, with emphasis on integrative approaches.

James L. Westcoat is a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Illinois. Gilbert F. White is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

'... a concise and erudite primer aimed at helping hydrologists and environmental managers to find a common language to talk about policymaking for rivers, lakes, wetlands and underground water reserves ... As befits its distinguished authors, it exudes authority.' Times Higher Education Supplement '... a significant contribution to the growing library of water and environment management texts.' Geography