no dustjacket.  spine flex and tears in front hinge.  cover corner rub marks.  edges starting to yellow. store sticker inside back cover. no marks on text. with map laid in.

Of increasingly vital and universal importance to civilized man is his water in adequate supply and in usable quality. People of the West have faced this historic challenge with a fair degree of success in keeping abreast of its solution. Those in areas of heavier rainfall are today facing a similar challenge as a result of increased uses, pollution of former supplies, and attendant increasing water costs. From its former status as an accepted birthright, good water is approaching the class of a luxury item. Without it, however, the West would wilt and wither. In California the booming surge of population and the entry of industry with its demand for fabulous quantities of water, have compounded the challenge many fold. For all its many uses a supply of 199 gallons per day is required for each man, woman and child of our population. Mr. Cooper presents in a fascinating, entertainingly readable, well-organized, and factual narration, the history, the problems, the attempted solutions of the past, and in detail today's projects for satisfying the water needs of this western state. Among the subjects delineated are: water in the history of agricultural and mining; early use of water by exploiters and planners; development of control districts and state and federal agencies, legislated background of water control; maldistribution of rainfall and local water jealousies; water supply for rain-poor San Diego, Imperial Valley and desert regions; the formation and use of the Salton seas; supplies from Owens River, the Sierra, Colorado River, and on to detailed accounts of the Central Valley Project, the Feather River Project, ad the huge State Water Project; the history and function of Southern California's Metropolitan Water District ,and the Hetch-Hetchy and other projects in the north, the need of control of floods and utilization of water now wasting to the sea; the development and application of concepts of water law. Problems of water supply and management which receive attention include: conservation and storage of water; measurement and control of the season's supply; ground water - its importance, basins over usage, and contamination aspects including seawater intrusion; rain makers; water reclamation and reuse; seawater conversion; pollution control and improvement of water quality; recreational uses; and the increasing demand for water for industry, for domestic use in modern appliances, swimming pools, and for irrigation in both the city and in agriculture. Each subject is buttressed by case application and appropriate statistical support. 38 photographs, map, illustrations  from various agencies.