A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy


Book Description

It is zero hour for a new US water policy! At a time when many countries are adopting new national approaches to water management, the United States still has no cohesive federal policy, and water-related authorities are dispersed across more than 30 agencies. Here, at last, is a vision for what we as a nation need to do to manage our most vital resource. In this book, leading thinkers at world-class water research institution the Pacific Institute present clear and readable analysis and recommendations for a new federal water policy to confront our national and global challenges at a critical time. What exactly is at stake? In the 21st century, pressures on water resources in the United States are growing and conflicts among water users are worsening. Communities continue to struggle to meet water quality standards and to ensure that safe drinking water is available for all. And new challenges are arising as climate change and extreme events worsen, new water quality threats materialize, and financial constraints grow. Yet the United States has not stepped up with adequate leadership to address these problems. The inability of national policymakers to safeguard our water makes the United States increasingly vulnerable to serious disruptions of something most of us take for granted: affordable, reliable, and safe water. This book provides an independent assessment of water issues and water management in the United States, addressing emerging and persistent water challenges from the perspectives of science, public policy, environmental justice, economics, and law. With fascinating case studies and first-person accounts of what helps and hinders good water management, this is a clear-eyed look at what we need for a 21st century U.S. water policy.




21st Century Water Planning


Book Description

21st century water planning : the importance of a coordinated federal approach : hearing before the Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, first session, March 4, 2009.




Water Finance


Book Description

A detailed look at the water industry and the trends that can lead to investment opportunities Water has quickly grown into a big global business, with annual revenues in the United States alone reaching over $200 billion. In the years ahead, companies as well as governments must find innovative ways to address important issues within this field without sacrificing basic needs, such as safety of drinking water or the reliability of water for energy production. Nobody understands this better than author Neil Grigg, a forty-year veteran of the water industry, and now, with Water Finance, he shares his extensive experience with you. Most of the water business operates under the radar, but with this reliable resource, Grigg shines a bright light on this essential area and offers comprehensive coverage of the public responsibilities and private opportunities associated with it. While Water Finance does contain many facts and figures, it also takes the time to pull together the various aspects of water, going far beyond water as just a commodity, to skillfully explain it as the integrated business that it is. Opens with a detailed discussion of the water industry before turning its focus to water handling, which includes water supply, wastewater, industrial water, storm water, irrigation and drainage, and instream flows Reveals the different driving forces, and issues, surrounding the water industry such as government involvement, privatization, law and regulations, financial structure, water and health, and workforce capacity Offers insights on water industry business, careers, and investments Organized around the idea that the water business is about all aspects of handling water, from the global environment to your tap, Water Finance contains the information you need to succeed in this dynamic field.




Infrastructure Planning and Finance


Book Description

Infrastructure Planning and Finance is a non-technical guide to the engineering, planning, and financing of major infrastucture projects in the United States, providing both step-by-step guidance, and a broad overview of the technical, political, and economic challenges of creating lasting infrastructure in the 21st Century. Infrastructure Planning and Finance is designed for the local practitioner or student who wants to learn the basics of how to develop an infrastructure plan, a program, or an individual infrastructure project. A team of authors with experience in public works, planning, and city government explain the history and economic environment of infrastructure and capital planning, addressing common tools like the comprehensive plan, sustainability plans, and local regulations. The book guides readers through the preparation and development of comprehensive plans and infrastructure projects, and through major funding mechanisms, from bonds, user fees, and impact fees to privatization and competition. The rest of the book describes the individual infrastructure systems: their elements, current issues and a 'how-to-do-it' section that covers the system and the comprehensive plan, development regulations and how it can be financed. Innovations such as decentralization, green and blue-green technologies are described as well as local policy actions to achieve a more sustainable city are also addressed. Chapters include water, wastewater, solid waste, streets, transportation, airports, ports, community facilities, parks, schools, energy and telecommunications. Attention is given to how local policies can ensure a sustainable and climate friendly infrastructure system, and how planning for them can be integrated across disciplines.




Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing


Book Description

Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing: A Comprehensive Guide, Third Edition provides a framework from which utility professionals can address financial planning and pricing objectives. In this volume, the lead author and his co-authors apply experience gained over the past quarter century working with nearly 1000 utilities throughout the United States. This book can be used as a management tool and technical guide to beneficial financial planning and rate-setting practices. The third edition significantly expands its discussion into emerging areas, reflecting the numerous changes that have occurred in recent years. It begins by analyzing the financial planning challenges facing utilities and discusses the process for developing a financial plan. The next section explores delivery methods and systems, followed by an examination of cost determination and the rate-setting process. The book concludes with coverage of miscellaneous financial issues faced by utility professionals.




Dictionary of 21st Century Energy Technologies, Financing and Sustainability


Book Description

This comprehensive desktop reference addresses the diverse terms and acronyms that form the backbone of 21st century energy technologies, applications of those technologies, and the sustainability sector of the U.S. economy. The convergence of these disciplines has resulted in an explosion of specialized terms, acronyms, and jargon. The references encompass a wide range of legacy as well as emerging renewable energy technologies including the finance and sustainable segments of business that form an integral part of those technologies. This dictionary gives professionals and laymen alike, across the multi-disciplinary fields of energy, a tool to better understand and communicate energy matters and understand the energy issues and opportunities faced. There are over 8,000 entries, making it the largest dictionary ever compiled on these specific subjects. Although the book includes some highly technical terms, the writing and explanations are sufficiently clear for both academia and practitioners including students, professors, architects, accountants, attorneys, engineers, public policy makers, regulators, developers, real estate professionals, debtors, borrowers, standards setting organizations, journalists, and boards of directors. The author has created this dictionary to help both novices and experts cut through the confusion and understand the vocabulary of this fast-growing field. This comprehensive body of knowledge explains these technologies and thousands of other new technical terms and acronyms. Three sectors—energy, efficiency, and sustainability—are at the heart of the economic low-carbon future growth of our economy. The result is a practical tool that should find a central place on the desk of anyone involved in energy, management, and development of sustainability issues anywhere in the world.




Drinking Water Into the 21st Century


Book Description




Water for the 21st Century


Book Description