Book ID: CBB001212518

Precious Commodity: Providing Water for America's Cities (2011)

unapi

Melosi, Martin V. (Author)


University of Pittsburgh Press


Publication Date: 2011
Physical Details: xiv + 288 pp.; ill.
Language: English

As an essential resource, water has been the object of warfare, political wrangling, and individual and corporate abuse. It has also become an object of commodification, with multinational corporations vying for water supply contracts in many countries. In Precious Commodity, Martin V. Melosi examines water resources in the United States and addresses whether access to water is an inalienable right of citizens, and if government is responsible for its distribution as a public good. Melosi provides historical background on the construction, administration, and adaptability of water supply and wastewater systems in urban America. He cites budgetary constraints and the deterioration of existing water infrastructures as factors leading many municipalities to seriously consider the privatization of their water supply. Melosi also views the role of government in the management of, development of, and legal jurisdiction over America's rivers and waterways for hydroelectric power, flood control, irrigation, and transportation access. Looking to the future, he compares the costs and benefits of public versus private water supply, examining the global movement toward privatization.

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Description Covers the history from the American Revolution to today.


Reviewed By

Review Kupel, Douglas E. (2013) Review of "Precious Commodity: Providing Water for America's Cities". American Historical Review (pp. 220-221). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001212518/

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Authors & Contributors
Ismail, Shehab
Daigger, Glen T.
Stroshane, Tim
Bickers, Margaret A.
Schmidt, Jeremy J.
Bianco, Anna Domizia
Concepts
Water resource management
Water supply
Water
Sewerage
Technology and politics
Civil engineering
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
21st century
Renaissance
20th century, late
20th century, early
Places
United States
Paris (France)
Great Britain
Jakarta (Indonesia)
Lagos, Nigeria
Mumbai (India)
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