Precious Commodity : Providing Water for America's Cities.

Intro -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Water-Truly a Precious Commodity -- Chapter One: "Improving" Rivers in America: From the Revolution to the Progressive Era -- Chapter Two: How Bad Theory Can Lead to Good Technology: Water Supply and Sewerage in the Age of Miasmas -- Chapter Three: Pure and Plentiful: The Development of Modern Waterworks in the United States, 1880-2000 -- Chapter Four: The Environmental Impact of the Big Dam Era -- Chapter Five: Private Water: The Curious Case of San Jose's Water Supply -- Chapter Six: The Historical Significance of Houston's Buffalo Bayou -- Chapter Seven: Houston's Public Sinks: Water and Wastewater Services-Local Concerns to Regional Challenges -- Chapter Eight: Privatization of Water: U.S. and Worldwide Implications -- Conclusion: The Question of Control -- Further Reading -- Notes -- Index.

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. He provides historical background on the construction, administration, and adaptability of water supply and wastewater systems in urban America. 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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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.