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Summary
Summary
Water has had an immeasurable impact on the history and growth of the United States. As an essential element of life water has been and remains a constant source of conflict and controversy as different constituencies fight for limited resources.
The Encyclopedia of Water Politics and Policy in the United States is the most comprehensive reference source available that analyzes water-related issues in America. A diverse group of over 100 scholars have provided their research and analysis of why water is so significant by tracing its impact on issues like national and state boundaries, western migration, urbanization, and the economy. This volume chronicles the origins of present-day water problems, political conflicts, the impact of legislation and court decisions on the use of water resources, the major projects undertaken across the country, and what experts are proposing be done to preserve this basic component of the environment.
Going back some 150 years, the Encyclopedia provides an overview of approximately 280 pieces of water-related legislation, legal cases, people, projects, and organizations that have shaped the history of the United States. In addition to historical coverage, the volume also addresses many current environmental issues including acid rain, agriculture, climate change, mining, erosion, levees and dams, pollution, urbanization, and wastewater treatment.
The volume's A to Z entries are divided into four sections:
Regional Water Politics and Policy: Essays providing a narrative background and overview Major Issues in Water Politics and Policy: A comprehensive list of issues from colonial times to the present Law and Government: The people and legislation that have shaped water policy in the United States Places and Projects: Extensive coverage of the projects (including dams and aqueducts) the government has undertaken to develop the nation's waterwaysThroughout the volume, concise text features highlight important events, advocacy groups, people, books, and sites important to water politics and policy. A thematic table of contents allows users to easily locate reclamation projects geographically, biographies of important figures, current issues by subject area, government agencies, and legal cases.
Reviews (3)
Booklist Review
The importance of water in American history cannot be underestimated, and its significance is explained throughout this encyclopedia. From floods, drought, and pollution to the business of trade and agriculture, the issue of water rights is intertwined with American politics, policy, and law. This single volume covers the people, projects, organizations, legislation, and legal cases that have shaped American waterways for the last 150 years. The volume includes an alphabetic listing as well as a thematic table of contents and is divided into four main parts: Regional Water Politics and Policy, Major Issues in Water Politics and Policy, Law and Government (the largest section), and Places and Projects. Sample entries include Acid rain, Clean Water Act of 1972, Dam building, Everglades restoration, Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, Poverty and water, and Urban rivers. Entries are consistently two to five pages. Each entry includes see also references and a bibliography. A helpful section on legal references and citations is included. The writing style tends to be scholarly and formal. Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout. Highly recommended for academic libraries.--Rosenberg, Robyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
Choice Review
This excellent compilation of short articles, alphabetically arranged, provides an overview of historic and contemporary water resource policy issues. Of particular note is the emphasis on policy as determined by court cases at the federal and state levels. Case citations are clear, and editors Danver (Walden Univ.) and Burch (Campbellsville Univ.) include a helpful explanation of legal references. Geographic coverage is tilted toward the continental western US, and groundwater, marine, and coastal issues are underrepresented. The cultural and historic precedents for different regional water law frameworks are well explained. This four-part work fully covers environmental issues, along with the history of water law as it applies to Native American claims. Sections are titled "Regional Water Politics and Policy" (overviews), "Major Issues in Water Politics and Policy," "Laws and Government," and "Places and Projects" (including articles on actual water projects). Short biographies are interspersed throughout. In some cases, different contributors discuss some topics in multiple articles, but readers are aided by cross-references and an index. Contributors are primarily academics and independent scholars, and the quality of writing is generally very good. This will be a valuable resource for collections serving undergraduates and for libraries supporting environmental studies programs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates. L. S. Zipp formerly, State University of New York College at Geneseo
Library Journal Review
Danver (social sciences, Walden Univ.; Seas and Waterways; editor, Journal of the West) and Burch (dean, Campbellsville Univ.; Owsley County) preside over material by 60 U.S. academics. The 300 articles of 1000-plus words address problems, solutions, projects, legislation, legal cases, people, and organizations over the past 150 years. An additional 75 "Features"-subsections of 100 words each-add interest on such topics as the Buffalo Creek flood, which is highlighted in the article on mining. A thematic table of contents allows users to access easily, for example, projects by subject area and biographies. Other encyclopedias, such as Pedro Fierro Jr. and Evan K. Nyer's The Water Encyclopedia (CRC Press, 2007), are more scientific and technical and do not address the political problems of water availability in as much detail. In environmental encyclopedias, water problems tend to be addressed from the perspective of pollution. Here, on the other hand, is a clear, single-volume, up-to-date work focused on social and political issues related to water in the United States. BOTTOM LINE This unique resource will appeal to general readers as well as students in many fields, including science, history, and social justice.-Janice Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib., CUNY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.