Encyclopedia of Water Politics and Policy in the United States

There is a saying out West: “whiskey’s for drinking, water’s for fighting.” Since water resources are becoming scarcer every day across the United States, it is important for people to have a reference tool that allows them to learn how the present-day water problems came to exist. People, from academe to the general public, also need to know about the legislation and legal cases that have impacted the development of water resources in the past, because those documents continue to impact people today. One can scarcely do anything to a waterway today without having to consult a number of different governmental institutions and private organizations for comment. What is consequently being learned today is that well-intentioned legislation passed decades ago has created unanticipated bureaucratic nightmares that make it extremely difficult for many locales to address their present-day water needs.

Water Politics and Policy in the United States is a two-volume reference tool containing entries on regions of the United States discussing the particular water-related environmental factors and the history of water development in each region, places and project entries discussing specific water developments and locations, law and governance entries discussing laws, court cases, agreements, and government oversight over the development of water resources and the environment, and issues entries discussing issues that have impacts that can be seen across regions and water developments.

Review: Water Politics and Policy

“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. This unique resource will appeal to general readers as well as students in many fields, including science, history, and social justice.” – Library Journal, September 2011