Clean Water: An Introduction to Water Quality and Water Pollution Control

by Kenneth M. Vigil

Clean Water is a book for anyone concerned about this precious resource who wants to become better informed. In straightforward language, Kenneth Vigil provides a comprehensive introduction to the many scientific, regulatory, cultural, and geographic issues associated with water quality and water pollution control.Most other books on water quality and pollution control are highly technical and very specific, and are aimed at engineers, scientists, or attorneys. Clean Water, on the other hand, is a comprehensive discussion of the subject intended for a wider audience of science students, educators, and the general public.

Vigil avoids the use of technical jargon and uses many photos and diagrams to illustrate and explain concepts. He provides sufficient detail to educate readers about many broad topics and includes additional references at the end of each chapter for exploring specific topics in more detail.

Clean Water summarizes the basic fundamentals of water chemistry and microbiology and outlines important water quality rules and regulations, all in concise, understandable prose. It describes the basic scientific principles behind water pollution control and the broader approach of addressing water pollution problems through watershed management. There are sections on drinking water and on citizen involvement in water pollution control efforts at home and in the community.

This is a thoroughly revised edition of Vigil's 1996 book, Clean Water: The Citizen's Complete Guide to Water Quality and Water Pollution Control, which was praised by reviewers and has been used as a textbook at colleges and high schools throughout the U.S.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jessica]

Good overview of water quality and treatment processes. Used in a survey class for water quality and treatment for undergraduates. It does need to be supplemented with more in-depth materials for treatment processes and the chemistry that affects water quality.

[Ibrahim Jaouni]

A good start for beginners who want to know what Water Quality means.

[Eliza]

Incredibly basic. As a person with a science background, it was hard to read because all the facts were so dumbed-down.

But, this book was not aimed at someone with a science background, it was aimed at the ordinary person who's looking to learn more about water quality, and in that regard, although I would argue still to basic, the book did a decently good job. Its facts about water laws were very useful, since the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws are convoluted and hard to follow in many cases, since there are so many updates and revisions to them over the years.

I would say that this book is a decent introduction to beginners in the topic of water quality, but for anyone who knows anything about the topic, the book will be way too basic to be of much help.

[Tina]

Oh yea, all those chemicals we put on our lawns wash into the rivers where we get our drinking water...time to go for the natural vegetative look for our yard. :)

[R7ma]

brief fundamentals, just to state the prime picture more clear