Aqua Shock: The Water Crisis in America »

Susan J. Marks is an award-winning journalist and author. She spent more than a dozen years at the Denver Post, primarily as Sunday business editor and special projects editor/business. She has also written for BusinessWeek, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Woman’s World, ColoradoBiz, and the United Communications Group. Her work has received awards and recognition from local, regional, and national organizations, including Gannett, the Colorado Press Association, and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. She lives in Denver.

The Future of Fresh Water

Aqua Shock

"Aqua Shock confronts an unfortunately little-known fact—the U.S. is in the midst of a water crisis. This is not an issue that can be ignored. Americans need to resd this book"

—Kristine Stratton, Executive Director, Waterkeeper Alliance

Once believed to be a problem only in the western United States, water shortages are now an issue coast to coast, from New England to California. Susan J. Marks bases her comprehensive analysis on the current water conflicts being fought over land, in local government agencies, and in the courtroom. She presents the findings of university studies, think tanks, and research groups and the opinions of water experts including Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institure for Studies in Development, Enviroment, and Security. There can be no doubt, she concludes, that fresh water in the United States is a fragile and diminishing resouce and its future depends on smart, careful panning now.

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

1 Liquid Gold 7

2 Where Our Water Comes From: A Global Perspective 33

3 The Disappearing Act 57

4 Danger! Safe Water at Risk 87

5 On Governing Water 107

6 America's Water Gods 135

7 The Cost of Water: Cash, Commodities, and Capitalism 153

8 Can Our Water Be Saved? 181

Glossary 210

Recommended Resources 213

Index 215