From Publishers Weekly
The filmmakers who made the documentary Thirst have put together an account of the push for the privatization of public water works and the pillaging of the countryside as producers of bottled water play fast and loose with the water tables. The authors spotlight eight communities that have fought back against Big Water, and though each case is unique, there are trends. Water privatization is an expensive proposition, and many water companies are forced to "quickly slash costs and raise prices to maximize cash flow and pay down the debt." The means to turn a profit often include soliciting multi-housing developments to create new ratepayers and raising water rates, such as a proposal in Felton, Calif., to hike rates 74 percent over three years. Similar stories appear throughout the book and detail dealings in communities big-Atlanta, Ga., and Lexington, Ky., both privatization battlegrounds-and small-Wisconsin Dells, Wis., and Mecosa County, Mich., where grassroots groups sparred with beverage giant Nestlé. The writing is provocative and the topic is an easy bet to raise hackles.
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Review
2008 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner in the category of Conscious Media/Journalism
"...an interesting read, well-written and thoroughly documented… completed by 50 pages of careful notes and references, helpful and informative." (World Business, March 2007)
Is water a human right or a commodity to be marketed for profit? Should water be run by local governments or by distant corporations? Why do we pay more for bottled water than for gasoline?
These are some of the tough-minded questions Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman first asked in their provocative and memorable 2004 documentary, also titled "Thirst."
In their new book, the authors investigate how the growing "water business" is trying to privatize water systems in cities scattered across the United States.
More often than not, local citizens don't even know their water is being sold. But when people do know what's happening, they form powerful coalitions, fueled by indignation and outrage. In the process, citizens rediscover some of the basic principles of democracy, namely, that they should have a voice in their government.
This is the cautionary tale the authors tell through their vivid descriptions of eight conflicts over water -- from Stockton to Atlanta, Ga.
Should we worry about these new water wars? Yes. Water is not only a limited resource; it is also necessary for biological survival.
"The current conflict between corporations and citizens movements to control this precious resource," they write, "will be decided in the years to come. The outcome of the conflict will surely be a measure of our democracy in the 21st Century."
They're right. See their film. Read this important book. Then decide if you agree that public control of water is essential for our health and the health of our democracy. (San Francisco Chronicle, Excerpts of a review by Ruth Rosen)
