Drinking Water: A History

Through the prism of this seemingly simple commodity, and with a wit as sharp as his narrative balance is smooth, Salzman focuses our attention on drinking water's complicated past and consequential future. Exploring the ambiguous phrase he claims as his title, Salzman illuminates the surprising depths of this seemingly shallow substance. Amongst the many essential ideas new to my understanding of the politics of water, Salzman's discussion of the consequences of the roles played by women and girls as "water bearers" in many developing countries has made a powerful impact. Opening with the aptly-named story of "Mother McCloud" as he does, the book, on a closer read, shows its keen political and social consciousness, something that has been a refreshing surprise amidst the other pieces I've read on related subjects. I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy the following: historically-informed thinking, a dry wit, balanced journalism, mindfulness in politics, and clear-eyed story-telling.

Why develop a detailed history about something as ubiquitous as water? Salzman shows why in this well-written inspection of a resource without which humans could not survive. He covers contemporary legal issues as well as (in the revised edition) the 2016 debacle in Flint, Michigan. He discourses about science, economics, human history, and public policy at length. Through adept writing, he makes the mundane and overlooked to become interesting and critical. To the curious reader, he offers a look at an environmental issue of importance that barely receives notice of the average citizen.Salzman bookends his book with the tale of a small California town targeted by Nestle for a water plant. This dying town’s leadership sought a bottled-water facility as a way to restore economic health. However, many in the town rebelled from their leadership for environmental reasons. The economic-versus-environment motif played out through the courts, and Nestle eventually withdrew its plans. While many citizens saw this as a victory, the town council still has no other plans to aid the region’s economic health.Controversies such as this will likely take place with increasing rapidity in America in coming decades. America’s water infrastructure is aging, and public funds, required in the billions of dollars, are lacking. Worse, public interest is also lacking – something that Salzman, a law professor and environmental policy wonk, seeks to combat.Finding healthy water sources and providing water treatment has been an integral part of human society since the Romans, as the author delineates. Public attention often passes despite the issue’s obvious importance. Water infrastructure in the developed world is surprisingly still vulnerable to fears of terrorism. An expanding society means an increasing need of water, yet few politicians attend to such concerns.This book should gain the attention of those interested in public policy. Hopefully, it will also grab the attention of informed citizens and their leaders. It brings interest to a topic that is, as the author convincingly persuades, worthy of such. This work focuses on the social impacts yet provides scientific detail of involved elements. As such, Salzman’s words can access a wide audience. Hopefully, the world need not repeat scenarios like Flint, Michigan, to realize the importance of attending to these matters.

This was a real eye-opener for me, because the topic of drinking water (and its history) is rarely discussed in the part of the country where I live—the Great Lakes basin—where water is plentiful. But as the 21st century progresses, the subjects presented in this book will take on increased importance for all of us. Most of the book is written in an engaging way that makes you want to keep reading—an excellent "sales pitch" for a vital issue.

I consider this book an indispensable part of the library of any serious lay reader of science. It presents a balanced and well-researched overview of our human relationship with drinking water. It is eminently readable yet scholarly; thoughtful without being ponderous. One of the best books on the subject, I have gifted it to numerous friends.

Excellent presentation of lots of research. I am an old retired civil engineer and I have always found that the general public in the developed world takes it for granted that he can just turn on the faucet and receive good, safe drinking water. The book is a history of drinking water and does not get into technical water treatment details. Salzman presents great historical cases showing that it takes consistent attention of dedicated professionals to monitor and protect storage and provide treatment and distribution systems so we can have good, safe drinking water. I especially recommend this book to all who are contemplating third world humanitarian drinking water projects. The most important and often most difficult task is to convince the receiving users that a good drinking water system is not free after the helpers leave. Many good efforts have failed after a few years because the local receiving community did not properly shoulder the responsibility of creating a body that would collect ongoing funding to pay for treatment and maintenance costs after the humanitarian funds were expended.

The other books by Salzman are more interesting, this one if a bit too full of facts and statistics and is not as compelling a story, I am only half way though it and might not finish as other things have taken priority. This tells you something, usually a very good book keeps my attention. Salzman is a great writer, but this is not his best production.....

infornativ und gut recherchiert

not very interesting

Very accessible style, interesting annecdotes, very well documented. This was an excelllent read.I would recommend it to anyone who feels concerns about drinking water...