Design for Water is an accessible and clearly written guide to alternate water collection, with a focus on rainwater harvesting in the urban environment. The book outlines the process of water collection from multiple sources -- landscape, residential, commercial, industrial, school, park and municipal systems; provides numerous case studies; details the assembly and actual application of equipment; and includes specific details, schematics and references. All aspects of rainwater harvesting are outlined, including passive and active system set-up, storage, stormwater reuse, distribution, purification, analysis and filtration.  

This handbook is cute, funny and smart - smart enough to teach almost anyone how to install a personal rainwater collection system. It covers the entire works, from determining how much rainwater you''ll need, to troubleshooting a problem pump, hanging gutters, the importance of check valves, how big a micron is, and how to disinfect your rainwater without the use of chemicals. Beautifully produced, it is packed with drawings and photographs to make rainwater harvesting a snap for the do-it-yourselfer.

CMHC consulted with municipalities across Canada to produce this handy reference for using water efficiently. Designed for use by consumers, it's also used by municipalities to educate residents on this increasingly important topic. The only national publication with comprehensive water saving information for residential consumers, the user-friendly guide shows how to test for and repair leaks, make the most efficient use of water when doing daily chores, and plan residential landscapes with water efficiency in mind. Municipalities are encouraged to use this affordable guide as an awareness tool for local water conservation promotion.

Reusing the Resource is a comprehensive guide to using plants to stabilize, clean, filter, and reuse wastewater, while simultaneously eliminating expensive and polluting sewers and septic systems. The book profiles more than thirty successful ecological wastewater recycling systems that save money, protect public and environmental health, and provide plant-based fuel, fibre, construction materials, habitat, and landscapes. It details the pros and cons of various systems and provides tips for designers, regulators, and builders.

Based on three years of research, this handbook provides a practical resource on how individuals, utilities and, most importantly, communities can save water and money. It seeks to inspire and facilitate action, designed for community leaders, water managers and policy makers. It promotes expanded definition of urban water infrastructure, including innovative physical components, water sensitive urban design and conservation programs designed to complement existing water supply networks. The Top Ten represent a suite of actions that can be tailored on a community- by-community basis.

BLUE COVENANT - The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water bby Maude Barlow

333.91   BAR

Blue Covenant addresses an environmental crisis that - together with global warming - poses one of the gravest threats to our survival. World renowned activist and author Maude Barlow has been at the forefront of international water politics, and in this timely and important book she discusses the state of the world's water, how water companies are reaping vast profits from declining supplies, and how ordinary people from around the world have banded together to reclaim the public's right to clean water.

Eau Canada assembles the country’s top water experts to discuss our most pressing water issues. Perspectives from a broad range of thinkers – geographers, environmental lawyers, former government officials, aquatic and political scientists, and economists – reflect the diversity of concerns in water management. Arguing that weak governance is at the heart of Canada’s water problems, this timely book identifies our key failings, explores debates over jurisdiction, transboundary waters, exports, and privatization, and maps out solutions for protecting our most important resource.

De Villiers examines the checkered history of humankind's management of water. One of them is the Nile River region, burdened by overpopulation. Another is the Sahara, where Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi is pressing an ambitious, and potentially environmentally disastrous, campaign to mine deep underground aquifers to make the desert green. Another is northern China, where the damaging effects of irrigation have destroyed once-mighty rivers, and the Aral Sea of Central Asia, which was killed within a human lifetime. And still another is the American Southwest, where crops more fitting to a jungle than a dry land are nursed. De Villiers travels to all these places, reporting on what he sees and delivering news that is rarely good.

Dry Spring looks at how the coming water crisis will devastate communities unless urgent action is taken. In many areas, the damage has already begun. Author Chris Wood relates compelling stories of people all over the continent coping with new conditions: Okanagan orchardists facing an uncertain future; a Mexican fisherman on the now-dry Colorado River Delta, which has been reduced to desert because of upstream usage by the American West; a Las Vegas water cop who monitors excessive lawn watering; a New Brunswick couple fleeing their coastal house because of the encroaching ocean; and more. Wood also shows how practical solutions like xeriscaping, water “recycling,” and run-off containment can preserve water for future generations.

What the Experts Think by Tony Maas

333.91 MAA

Urban water management poses many logistical and financial challenges in Canadian communities. By increasing water use efficiency, Demand Side Management can mitigate many of the impacts of human water use on overstretched municipal infrastructure and overstressed aquatic systems. Despite these benefits, Demand Side Management is seriously underutilized in Canada. What the Experts Think draws on interviews with Canadian experts in the field of water resource management and initiates a national network of water demand management practitioners.

Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

333.91 REI

Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the competition to transform the West.

Based on more than a decade of research, Cadillac Desert is a stunning expose and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of an Eden--and Eden that may be only a mirage.

When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce

333.91 PEA

In this groundbreaking book, veteran science correspondent Fred Pearce travels to more than thirty countries to examine the current state of crucial water sources. Deftly weaving together the complicated scientific, economic, and historic dimensions of the world water crisis, he provides our most complete portrait yet of this growing danger and its ramifications for us all. The situation is dire, but not without remedy. Pearce argues that the solution to the growing worldwide water shortage is not more and bigger dams but greater efficiency and a new water ethic based on managing the water cycle for maximum social benefit rather than narrow self-interest.

Water Follies – Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America’s Fresh Waters by Robert Glennon

333.91 GLE

Water Follies is an occasionally wry and always fascinating account of ground-water pumping and the environmental problems it causes. Robert Glennon sets forth a striking collection of stories--ranging from Down Hast Maine to San Antonio's River Walk to Atlanta's burgeoning suburbs--that bring to life the human and natural consequences of our growing national thirst. Glennon suggests common-sense legal and policy reforms that would address the most egregious situations and help minimize potentially catastrophic future effects.

Buried Treasure – Groundwater Permitting and Pricing in Canada by Linda Nowlan

333.91 NOW

Monitoring and permitting use of groundwater is a provincial responsibility, and legislation varies considerably across provinces. The Gordon Foundation has spearheaded a cooperative dialogue about the management of groundwater resources, particularly those that cross borders. As a foundation for this dialogue, Buried Treasure was written to provide an evaluation of the state of groundwater knowledge, current legislation permitting groundwater use, and the degree of monitoring of actual use across the country.

The Gulf Island Papers of Dr. Diana Allen by Dr. Diana Allen

551.49 ALL

This series of reports and studies, published by Mayne Island Integrated Water Systems Society with the permission of Dr. Allen and her students, evolved from several years of groundwater studies, in the main, on Saturna Island, the southernmost of the Gulf Island chain. Also included are studies done on adjacent Mayne Island. Due to the similar groundwater circumstances on all of the islands in this area, the results from the Saturna studies, can be extrapolated to include the balance of the southern Gulf Islands. While a very technical read, there is information to be extracted for all levels of interest.

new

Fit to Drink: Challenges in providing safe drinking water by BC Ombudsman
354.30 OMB

new

Well Protection Tool Kit by BC Ministry of Health et al
628.11 BRI