Water, Weather and the Mountain West

by Robert William Sandford

Growing populations, increasing industrial use and heavy agricultural demand are beginning to tax water supplies in many regions of Canada.

Since many rivers are already fully allocated to numerous uses, future economic and social development will depend upon how much we know about our surface and ground water resources and how effectively we manage them-especially in the face of climate change.

The message to take home from this eloquent book is that it is time to dispel the myth of limitless abundance of water in Canada and throughout North America. We all need to be mindful that though our technologically sophisticated society is largely fuelled and lubricated by refined petroleum, it ultimately runs on plain water.

In his conclusion to this authoritative book, Robert Sandford, chair of Canada's United Nations Water for Life Decade, offers a realistic picture of the various issues and threats related to the future availability and quality of fresh water in Canada.

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2007

About the author

Bob Sandford is the author or editor of over 35 books on the history and heritage of the Canadian West. He began his work with UN-linked initiatives as chair of the United Nations International Year of Mountains in 2002. He also chaired the United Nations International Year of Fresh Water and Wonder of Water Initiative in Canada in 2003–04. These celebrations focused on the growing importance of water to ecological and cultural heritage in Canada.

Reviews

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read The Weekender Effect(same author) previously, and was a bit skeptical about reading another one of his books, as his political analysis was far too shallow for me, and he wasn't critical enough, in my opinion. This being a more scientific book and the only one I found on the topic, I decided to give it a shot. I found it decent at the beginning, with some real wake-up call anecdotes that I hadn't heard before that were worth reading. Getting up to speed on Canada's drinking water systems, and understanding the water sources, fluctuations, and prospects were great too. Overall though, he's a bit of a blow-hard. Redundant at times, not critical enough of tourism, national parks, etc. Worth skimming though, especially if the topic interests you.