In some parts of the United States, water is disappearing as consumption exceeds supply. In other parts, battles are raging that will determine both the cost and the quality of a simple glass of water. Not a Drop to Drink comprehensively examines the imminent crisis of America's water supply and explains what readers everywhere can do about it.

In this straightforward, story-driven book, Ken Midkiff talks to crusty ranchers in Topeka, suited lawyers in Atlanta, and smooth-talking politicians in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Using regional and national case studies, he analyzes and presents the roots of the problem, and then says what we must do to solve it. Written by one of the foremost experts on America's water supply, Not a Drop to Drink is a must-read book for concerned citizens nationwide.

"Though it offers a litany of damning facts about America's state-of-emergency water crisis, this is pretty dry reading. Midkiff (The Meat You Eat) earnestly marshals plenty of cautionary information: once-flush aquifers are being rapidly depleted, most precipitously the Ogallala, which stretches from Nebraska to the Texas panhandle, while the Colorado (in Texas) and Rio Grande rivers vanish into dry riverbeds before they reach the Gulf of Mexico. Water from the tap in Atlanta has had to be boiled to make it potable, while farmers' wells in New Mexico are tapped out. Midkiff frets that the privatization of municipal water services will raise household bills for private profit, and faults outdated, lobby-driven farm subsidies for encouraging 'water-guzzling' rice crops in California's Central Valley, which was once a desert, before the lure of underpriced water transformed it into an agricultural cornucopia. The author, former director of the Sierra Club's clean water campaign, doesn't put stock in desalinization plants or the meltwater of towed glaciers, believing that conservation is the most viable path to sustaining water supplies. His call for immediate collective effort makes good sense, even if expressed with bromides like 'if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.'" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The author draws "purchase power" tips from her syndicated column, The Virtuous Consumer, developed in her quest for smarter choices for her family and the environment. For example, Garrett attacks disposable products and embraces hybrid cars (at least when it's not bike-riding weather). The commonsense guide examines product controversies, and includes resources and recommended reading. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A water activist who has worked for environmental organizations and government agencies, Midkiff describes the creeping water shortage in the US--widely manifested as low water pressure that leads to possible contamination and the recommendation to boil tap water before drinking it. He looks at specific regions and the national scene and such topics as crops, privatization, global warming, and technological solutions. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"An insightful analysis of the oncoming water crisis, this book deserves attention from environmentalists and developers, as well as citizens concerned about both protecting and using our water resources." Bruce Babbitt, former governor of Arizona and secretary of the interior for the Clinton Administration

"In the spirit of Marc Reisner's classic Cadillac Desert, Ken Midkiff writes brilliantly of threats more certain than terrorist attacks and every bit as devastating. This book makes you think about what your children will drink." Bill Lambrecht, author of Dinner at the New Gene Café

"At last there is a book that gives us the `nuts and bolts' of rivers and water issues. Ken Midkiff's compelling chapter on the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers is the most accurate description of the problems facing western water today." Richard Ingebretsen, MD, PhD, president, Glen Canyon Institute