Download or read book The Crisis of Innovation in Water and Wastewater written by Duncan A. Thomas and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an extremely well-researched and documented book. The authors hypothesis is that the current water and wastewater sector is failing the populations of the western-world by clinging to orthodox and short-term visions of new technology and innovation, and also failing the developing nations by believing that delivery of western-world high-technology solutions is a contribution to humanitarian development. This is the crisis of innovation . To many practitioners in the water industry the book will be perceived to be hypercritical (of the incrementalism, conservative and dogged traditionalism ) of the sector, but in fact it is stimulating and positive. In the latter chapters an alternate more holistic model of water development is described. There needs to be a movement from large, central infrastructure resources to distributed systems that are more appropriate to local needs and can be coupled with environmentally sustainable energy sources and practices. Tim Lack, European Topic Centre on Water, UK Whilst acknowledging a massive leap from standpipe to universal water provision in 100 years in developed countries, the authors of this book see problems for global sustainable water supply and wastewater removal in the future. Using the UK water industry as an example, they describe the global water industry as risk averse and unwilling to innovate, a view that is encouraged by the institutional and financial regimes under which it works. The book explores the reasons for concern and sets out some hard-hitting views on how the water industry is failing to identify and tackle the essential problems in a world which is becoming ever more depleted of fresh water. The concluding chapter brings to a focus the problems of the crisis in innovation and gives some concrete suggestions for tackling them. This volume should raise the awareness of policymakers and regulators, technologists and concerned members of the public. Peter Chave, Independent Consultant and formerly Head of Pollution Control, National Rivers Authority, UK This significant new book highlights a little acknowledged but potentially catastrophic crisis of innovation in the global water sector, which institutions and industries are frighteningly ill-equipped to tackle or even accept. It suggests potential new technology and policy approaches to overcome both current and future problems. The book explores how technological innovation is vital to help provide sustainable water in both the UK and developing countries. However, innovation is being overlooked in the face of global trends to privatize and regulate water utilities. The authors highlight how the global water sector is failing to respond to increasingly complex world needs and continues to build largely unsustainable centralized infrastructures, opposing more appropriate, distributed and local modern technologies. The book also includes suggestions for potentially innovative technology and policy solutions to meet escalating global water and wastewater demands. Importantly, the authors adopt a long-term perspective that crosses both disciplinary and institutional boundaries, and include an international comparative perspective, covering a diverse range of examples and countries. This comprehensive book will have a broad appeal amongst researchers and academics with an interest in technology management, innovation studies, geography and development studies. It will also be a valuable asset for water regulators and governmental and non-governmental organisations working in this field.

Download or read book America s Water and Wastewater Crisis written by Lewis D. Solomon and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the role of private firms in the American water and wastewater industry. As more water infrastructure shifts from public- to private-sector control, vendors, consultants, and facilities are taking on more importance. Lewis D. Solomon presents an historical overview of water supply and treatment needs and the role of the government, including how water policy has been crafted. He argues that water scarcity is becoming a problem due to groundwater depletion, contamination, and patterns of consumption. He examines the impact of climate change on water availability and quality considering voluntary conservation programs and mandatory restrictions for water use. Solomon points to how for-profit firms can use technology to increase water supply. He describes what privatization would look like in practice and reviews evidence from two case studies. Solomon proposes privatization as a viable response to America's water crisis that can address both scarcity and capital problems. America's Water and Wastewater Crisis presents a careful examination of how the water industry has operated in the United States in the past and how it may work as we move into the future. This book is invaluable to environmental specialists, businessmen, and government officials.

Download or read book Water Tech written by William Sarni and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-08 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book unveils how the world in the twenty-first century will need to manage our most fundamental resource need, water. It outlines how stakeholders can improve water use in their homes, their businesses, and the world. In particular, it focuses on the role of stakeholders in crafting a twenty-first century paradigm for water. Investors not only drive innovation through direct investment in new technologies but also by highlighting risk and driving reporting and disclosure within the business community. Water Tech highlights the business drivers to address water related issues. These include business disruption, regulatory risk and reputational risk along with opportunities in the commercialization of innovative technologies such as desalination and water reuse and treatment. The authors argue that through increased attention on water scarcity through activities such as reporting and disclosure we are now accelerating innovation in the water industry. They show how we are just now capturing the true cost and value of water and this is creating opportunities for investors in the water sector. The text takes the reader through key aspects of emerging innovative technologies along with case studies and key issues on the path to commercialization. A roadmap of the opportunities in the water sector is presented based on interviews with leading authorities in the water field including innovators, investors, legal, regulatory experts and businesses.

Download or read book Water Tech written by William Sarni and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-08 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book unveils how the world in the twenty-first century will need to manage our most fundamental resource need, water. It outlines how stakeholders can improve water use in their homes, their businesses, and the world. In particular, it focuses on the role of stakeholders in crafting a twenty-first century paradigm for water. Investors not only drive innovation through direct investment in new technologies but also by highlighting risk and driving reporting and disclosure within the business community. Water Tech highlights the business drivers to address water related issues. These include business disruption, regulatory risk and reputational risk along with opportunities in the commercialization of innovative technologies such as desalination and water reuse and treatment. The authors argue that through increased attention on water scarcity through activities such as reporting and disclosure we are now accelerating innovation in the water industry. They show how we are just now capturing the true cost and value of water and this is creating opportunities for investors in the water sector. The text takes the reader through key aspects of emerging innovative technologies along with case studies and key issues on the path to commercialization. A roadmap of the opportunities in the water sector is presented based on interviews with leading authorities in the water field including innovators, investors, legal, regulatory experts and businesses.

Download or read book Future Water written by John Richard Sheaffer and published by William Morrow. This book was released on 1983 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Water 4 0 written by David Sedlak and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2014-01-28 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The little-known story of the systems that bring us our drinking water, how they were developed, the problems they are facing, and how they will be reinvented in the near future

Download or read book Innovative Financing Mechanisms for the Water Sector written by Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2010-03-15 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part of OECD Water Policy and Finance Set - Buy all four reports and save over 30% on buying separately! This report examines innovative mechanisms that can help attract new financial resources into water and sanitation services. In particular, it focuses on mobilising market-based repayable financing (such as loans, bonds and equity) as a way of bridging the financial gap to meet the water-related Millennium Development Goals and other crucial sector objectives. The Camdessus and Gurria reports, published seven and four years ago, respectively, formulated a number of recommendations in this area. This report examines the extent to which these recommendations have been implemented. It looks at the rapidly evolving global context and to the ongoing financial and economic crisis, and considers how innovation in financing for the water sector may need to adapt. Further reading: Managing Water for All (2009); Private Sector Participation in Water Infrastructure: OECD Checklist for Public Action (2009); Social Issues in the Provision and Pricing of Water Services (2003); The Price of Water: Trends in OECD Countries (1999); Visit http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/UsefulResourcesforDevelopingCountries_0 to access the OECD area on the IWA WaterWiki

Download or read book Urban Transformations written by Sigrun Kabisch and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-01-08 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book addresses urban transformations towards sustainability in light of challenges of global urbanization processes and the consequences of global environmental change. The aim is to show that urban transformations only succeed if both innovative scientific solutions and practice-oriented governance approaches are developed. This assumption is addressed by providing theoretical insights and empirical evidence pointing particularly at 3 concepts or qualities which are determined here as being central for achieving urban sustainability: resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience. Urban case studies from several international research projects illustrate our conceptual approach of urban transformations towards sustainable development. Thus, the book reaches far beyond a mere additive description of single case studies. It incorporates the results of condensed synthesis, resulting from comparisons and evaluations. It provides, based on cross-cutting reflection of single cases and different scales and methods of analysis, general and transferable findings. They do not only consider the scientific sphere but deliberately go beyond it discussing transferability of knowledge into practice, governance options and the feasibility of policy strategies in order to pave the way for sustainable urban transformations to happen today and in the future.

Download or read book Crisis Innovation and Sustainable Development written by Blandine Laperche and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This book talks about a genuine greening of the economy: from the most theoretical aspects, e.g. the genealogy of ecological economics, to the most practical. The two most prominent conclusions are, for me: this greening cannot be achieved by companies alone, but can only be the result of different kinds of innovation: technological, organizational, institutional and lifestyle changes. The changes must be implemented at all levels, from the firm to international governance.' Dominique Bourg, University of Lausanne, Switzerland 'Crisis, Innovation and Sustainable Development is a fascinating exploration at the frontiers of economics and ecology. It combines topical surveys of current work with deep reflection on the repressed role of nature in the history of economics. A work of great range and value, especially for all concerned with the strategy of economic policy going forward.' James K. Galbraith, The University of Texas at Austin, US This unique and informative book highlights the relationship between crisis, innovation, and sustainable development, and discusses the necessary conditions required to seize the ecological opportunity. The authors study the strength of change for building a new society, and the theoretical origins and political aspects of environmental concerns. They also sketch the outlines of a global governance system seeking to promote sustainable development. Written from a multidisciplinary perspective, this volume will appeal to postgraduate students and researchers in the economics of innovation, environmental economics and political economy, as well as policy makers and practitioners.

Download or read book Quality Unknown written by Richard Damania and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-09-27 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water quantity—too much in the case of floods, or too little in the case of droughts—grabs public attention and the media spotlight. Water quality—being predominantly invisible and hard to detect—goes largely unnoticed. Quality Unknown: The Invisible Water Crisis presents new evidence and new data that call urgent attention to the hidden dangers lying beneath water’s surface. It shows how poor water quality stalls economic progress, stymies human potential, and reduces food production. Quality Unknown examines the effects of water quality on economic growth and finds upstream pollution lowers growth in downstream regions. It reveals that some of the most ubiquitous contaminants in water, such as nitrates and salt, have impacts that are larger, deeper, and wider than has been acknowledged. And it traces the damage to crop yields and the stark implications for food security in affected regions. An important step toward tackling the world’s water quality challenge is recognizing its scale. The world needs reliable, accurate, and comprehensive information so that policy makers can have new insights, decision making can be evidence based, and citizens can call for action. The report calls for a paradigm shift that emphasizes safer, and often more cost-effective remedies that prevent pollution by combining smarter policies with newer technologies. A key message of Quality Unknown is that such solutions exist and change is possible.

Download or read book Out of Water written by Colin Chartres and published by FT Press. This book was released on 2010-07-14 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From cities to biofuels, competition for water is accelerating. Climate change threatens to intensify the onset and severity of the water crisis in several regions of the developing world: this is already happening throughout much of Asia, the Mediterranean, southwestern Australia, and the southwestern US. Along with water shortages, unsafe water becomes an increasingly widespread problem, too. As water crises trigger food and health crises, billions may slip further into poverty, leading to greater social and political unrest, new wars, and worsening national security. Out of Water doesn't just illuminate the coming global water crisis: it presents innovative solutions in agriculture, engineering, governance, and beyond, including state-of-the art techniques for integrated water management. This book will help raise the level of debate about water to the highest levels of government, and identify workable reforms and incentives to help water users utilize this crucial resource far more efficiently.

Download or read book OECD Studies on Water Innovative Financing Mechanisms for the Water Sector written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2010-03-12 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines innovative mechanisms that can help attract new financial resources into water and sanitation services. In particular, it focuses on mobilising market-based repayable financing.

Download or read book The Water Paradox written by Edward Barbier and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-01 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A radical new approach to tackling the growing threat of water scarcity Water is essential to life, yet humankind's relationship with water is complex. For millennia, we have perceived it as abundant and easily accessible. But water shortages are fast becoming a persistent reality for all nations, rich and poor. With demand outstripping supply, a global water crisis is imminent. In this trenchant critique of current water policies and practices, Edward Barbier argues that our water crisis is as much a failure of water management as it is a result of scarcity. Outdated governance structures and institutions, combined with continual underpricing, have perpetuated the overuse and undervaluation of water and disincentivized much-needed technological innovation. As a result "water grabbing" is on the rise, and cooperation to resolve these disputes is increasingly fraught. Barbier draws on evidence from countries across the globe to show the scale of the problem, and outlines the policy and management solutions needed to avert this crisis.

Download or read book Solving Global Water Crises written by Jo-Shing Yang and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water is the next oil over which nations will fight wars. Severe water shortages already affect some 450 million people living in 29 countries, and analysts have predicted that tensions over water rights in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East could explode into violent clahses and even full-blown wars if governments do not manage existing water supplies more efficiently. Worldwide, 220 river basins are shared by two or more countries and the tensions caused by water scarcity will escalate in this century---the water shortage problems will be exacerbated by global warming and its associated unpredicatable weather patterns. In 2001, the CIA predicted that by 2015, almost half of the world?s population, more than 3 billion people, will live in "water-stressed"countries. How can communities that don't have millions of dollars to hire multinational engineering companies to build highly advanced (but also highly energy and chemical intensive) water- and wastewater-treatment systems? This book is full of practical, low-cost, effective, ecological and economically sustainable, environmental friendly solutions for communities. In the 762 pages (with 185 diagrams and 910 photographs), readers will be introduced to many types of ecologically designed and engineered water- and wastewater-treatment systems, which communities can build with locally available labor, expertise, and resources. Table of Contents and Chapters Chapter 1. Solving global water crises and restoring the environment with ecological engineering. A new paradigm for crafting solutions to global water crises. The significance of ecological engineering. Who will control the water? Privatization, corporatization, militarization, and globalization of water and water rights. Global water scarcity and water use in agriculture. Case study: integrated aquaculture, biological pest control, nutrient recycling, and wastewater polishing in Chinese rice paddies. Chapter 2. Introduction to conventional water-recycling and water-treatment systems. Water intake. Chemical usage and storage. Flocculating clarifier: Coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation. Filter cells and sand-filter systems. Recycled-water disinfection using chlorine. Pumps and electrical consumption in conventional water-treatment and recycling systems. Recycled-water distribution system and pumping station. Control systems and control room. Reverse-osmosis systems in water-reclamation plants. Seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers around the world. On-site laboratories for water analyses at conventional water-treatment plants. Forest and watershed protection for cost savings in drinking-water filtration. Chapter 3. Introduction to conventional wastewater-treatment systems. The role of fossil fuel and electrical infrastructure in conventional wastewater treatment. Solids removal by coarse and fine screens. Grit removal in grit chambers. Primary sedimentation in tanks and clarifiers. Conventional secondary treatment: activated-sludge and oxygenation aeration. Secondary treatment in final settling basins and secondary clarifiers. Biological filters and trickling filters. Sewage-sludge production and biosolids processing in conventional wastewater-treatment plants. Anaerobic digesters, biogas production, and on-site power generation using sewage sludge. Disinfection of treated wastewater effluent by chlorination, ozonation, and UV radiation. Sewers and pipe systems in conventional wastewater-treatment plants. Chapter 4. Ponds and aquaculture in ecological wastewater-treatment systems. Ponds in cost-effective sewage-treatment technology for small, rural, and remote communities. Models of pond hydrodynamics and biochemical processes in the context of treatment and purification kinetics. Pond designs. Small municipal wastewater-treatment systems. Upgrading facultative ponds and waste-stabilization pond effluents. Agricultural reuse of treated wastewater from waste-stabilization and maturation ponds. Algal ponds in sewage treatment. Case study: A pond system for treating palm-oil mill effluent. Ethical issues anad disclaimer about freshwater-fish polyculture. Combining wastewater recycling and food production in an integrated aquaculture-wetland ecosystem. Case study: Manure-fed and wastewater-fed fish aquaculture in small-town municipal sewage treatment. Case study: Fish-aquaculture-based system for the purification of primary-treated municipal sewage. Case study: Waste-stabilization ponds for wastewater treatment, fish production, and multiple-crop irrigation. Case study: Low-cost sanitation and waste recycling using sewage-fed fish-aquaculture pond systems. Chapter 5. Aquatic plants, macrophytes, halophytes, hydroponic vegetables, trees, and agroforestry in ecological wastewater-treatment systems. Mechanisms of macrophyte-based wastewater-treatment systems. The role of macrophyte roots. Macrophytes and trees in wastewater-treatment plants. The removal of bacteria, viruses, and pathogenic organisms in macrophyte-based wastewater treatment. Aquatic plants in tertiary or advanced wastewater treatment. Biological purification of drinking water using miniature macrophyte-based, constructed ecosystems. Vegetated shoals, bioditches, bioponds, moor filters, peat biofilters, and planted buffer strips in wastewater treatment and pollution prevention. Using macrophytes in hydroponic tertiary treatment and polishing of secondary effluent. Hydroponic crop production to recycle wastes in space stations' closed systems and ecosystems. Evaluating commercial-crop growth potential of a hydroponic sewage-treatment system. Aquatic-macrophyte ponds in the purification of hospital sewage. Macrophytes in septic-tank wastewater treatment. Combined macrophyte-polyculture wastewater-purification and nutrient-recycling system for zoos. Macrophytes and microphytes in a pond-wetland system for rural sewage treatment. Combined algae-water hyacinths in nitrogen removal in industrial wastewater. Salt-tolerant plants, or halophytes, in the treatment of saline wastewater and mitigation of pollution in estuaries and coastal waters. Wastewater purification with water-peanut ponds. Cast study: Macrophyte wastewater-purification ponds combined with nutrient recycling and food production. Mechanical harvesting of macrophytes. Macrophyte species in ecological sewage treatment. Restoration of a reservoir-watershed with agroforestry (and eco-orchards) and ecological engineering. Chapter 6. Constructed wetlands and reed-bed systems in ecological wastewater treatment. The importance of wetlands in protecting natural water quality and watershed health. Three basic types of constructed wetlands. Reed-bed systems for natural sludge dewatering, composting, and storage. Case study: Domestic wastewater treatment using constructed wetlands in India, New Zealand, and the Czech Republic. Case study: An integrated constructed wetland with tea trees (Melaleuca) in Australia. Cast study: Constructed wetlands for nitrate removal in the drinking-water supply of southern California. Case study: Constructed wetlands for river reclamation in Israel. Local and migratory birds in restored wetlands. Chapter 7. Ecological design of greywater recycling and treatment systems. Phytoremediation in the treatment of greywater and chemically contaminated water: Phytoaccumulation, phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, phytopumping, phytodegradation/phytotransformation, rhizofiltration, and rhizodegradation. Small domestic water-reuse systems for communities. Flowform aeration and natural oxygenation in riverbed flows in wastewater treatment and water purification. Cast studies: (1) A triplicate soil-layer infiltration-wetland-pond system for greywater and rainwater purification in Sweden; (2) Water reclamation with irrigated woodlots and horticulture in Australia; (3) Reed beds for greywater treatment in Costa Rica; (4) Pilot-scale natural treatment system in Mexico. Chapter 8. Living Machines and Solar Aquatics: Examples of integrated, ecological wastewater-treatment systems. What is a Living Machine? The Living Machines in Sonoma Mountain Brewery and the Mars/Ethel M Chocolates Factory in Henderson, NV. An evaluation of a Living Machines Pilot Tertiary Treatment System in San Francisco. Stensund Wastewater Aquaculture in Sweden. The Solar Aquatics in Harwich, Massachusetts. Ethical issues on using fish and other aquatic animals in wastewater treatment. Chapter 9. Low-cost filters and sorbents for water and wastewater treatment. Low-cost sorbents. Fungal biodegradation of wastes in filters. Compact sand filters. Wastewater filtering with ring-shaped floating plastic net media. Fungal biosorbent. Plant-based biomass biosorbent. Sand filters with granitic and volcanic alluvial soils in "Soakaway Pits" for piggery wastewater. Compact sand-and-textile-flock filters for wastewater treatment in households and small communities. Case Study: Permeable pavement filters for water-storage reservoirs. Anthracite ash as low-cost media in fixed-film biological filters. Aerated membranes and biofilters in pilot systems. Microbial biodegradation of chlorophenols and chlorinated hydrocarbons using sand and diatomaceous earth in fluidized-bed bioreactors. Chapter 10. Ecological wastewater-treatment systems for animal manure and high-strength agricultural wastes. Water pollution by industry-scale factory farms. Anaerobic digestion of manure and organic matter. Miniaturizing natural ecosystems in treatment systems. Case studies: (1) A prototype system for the treatment of piggery wastewater; (2) High-rate pond system for piggery wastewater treatment; (3) Combined lagoon-wetland system for piggery wastewater treatment; (4) Constructed wetlands for the treatment of dairy flush water and piggery wastewater; (5) Nutrient recycling of liquid piggery waste with sand filters, macrophytes, and fish aquaculture; (6) In-situ composting of piggery waste with sawdust. Ecological design process: A sample design for a factory dairy farm's manure- and wastewater-treatment system.

Download or read book World Water Vision written by William J. Cosgrove and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-18 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than a billion people cannot get safe drinking water; half the world's population does not have adequate sanitation; within a generation over three billion will be suffering from water stress. This text analyzes the issues in this crisis of management and shows how water can be used effectively and productively. The key to sustainable water resources is an integrated approach. The authors assert that careful planning and concerted action can make the fundamental changes needed and that the implications of not dealing with the crisis are immense. The book comes with a CD ROM containing background research and scenarios.

Download or read book We Need to Change to Solve the Water Crisis Humanity is not a Plague How 10 Billion People can Exist Together written by Cees Buisman and published by IWA Publishing. This book was released on 2020-04-15 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We need to change to solve the water crisis. It is impossible for 10 billion people to exist together on this Earth – as predicted for the year 2100 – unless the ricer part of the world no longer merely focuses on its own health, prosperity and happiness, and instead starts working seriously on developing a higher consciousness. In this essay, Cess Buisman sharply analyses some of the problems facing mankind, such as fresh water shortages, whilst overturning several clichés and offering unexpected, positive solutions. Overpopulation is not the problem; the effects of our actions on the rest of the world have a much greater impact. ‘Back to nature’ is not the solution, nor is an overreliance on science and innovation. In fact, large-scale technologies could even increase our problems. The growth of humanity depends on the growth of our consciousness. We need to change now. We Need to Change to Solve the Water Crisis, published by Bornmeer & Noordboe in 2018 as Humanity is not a Plague: How 10 Billion People can Exist Together

Download or read book Liquid Asset written by Barton H. Thompson Jr. and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2023-11-21 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping, policy-oriented account of the private and public management of the world's essential natural resource. Governments dominated water management throughout the twentieth century. Tasked with ensuring a public supply of clean, safe, reliable, and affordable water, governmental agencies controlled water administration in most of the world. They built the dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts that store water when available and move that water to areas with increasing populations and economies. Private businesses sometimes played a part in managing water, but typically in a supporting position as consultants or contractors. Today, given the global need for innovative new technologies, institutions, and financing to solve the freshwater crisis, private businesses and markets are playing a rapidly expanding role, bringing both new approaches and new challenges to a historically public field. In Liquid Asset, Barton H. Thompson, Jr. examines the growing position of the private sector in the "business of water." Thompson seeks to understand the private sector's involvement in meeting the water needs of both humans and the environment, looks at the potential risks that growing private involvement poses to the public interest in water, and considers the obstacles that private organizations face in trying to participate in a traditionally governmental sector. Thompson provides a richly detailed analysis to foster both improved public policy and responsible business behavior. As the book demonstrates, the story of private businesses and water offers a window into the serious challenges facing freshwater today, and their potential solutions.