Book Review

by Paul Ganderton

Stauffer J. 1998 The Water Crisis: Constructing Solutions for Freshwater Pollution. Earthscan. pp xii + 161. ISBN 1 85383 436 X. £12.95.

This book could be said to be timely for at least this reviewer. Received during a 6 week city-wide ban on tap water due to micro-organism infestation and reviewed during a series of floods there was much to concentrate the mind on this slim volume. Stauffer’s basic thesis is that freshwater is a scarce resource and that polluting it further diminishes the supply. Furthermore, much can be done, even at the local scale to mitigate the effects. The book follows these ideas using the developed world as her example. Part one describes the problems facing water supply: urbanisation (sewage and storm water), industrialisation (chemicals) and farming (fertilizers and pesticides). A fourth chapter describes two cases which show all of these problems; the Rhine and the Great Lakes. Part two focuses on prevention through the use of techniques such as ecosystem restoration and legislation. Part three goes into more detail about possible solutions.

These are seen as primarily soil or aquatic based ideas usually low impact and highlighting the books origins in the Centre for Alternative Technology.

Small chapters on groundwater pollution and conclusions, a glossary and index finish the text.

This book does not set out to be comprehensive. Its aim is to highlight examples of the way we are treating our water and what can be done to reduce that impact. As such the text is clear and very accessible even by upper junior/lower secondary pupils. It is a useful text which could stimulate a wide range of teaching ideas.