Synopses & Reviews
Addressing ecologists, legislators, lawyers, and industrialists alike, Ruth Patrick asks what has been accomplished with the millions of dollars spent on upgrading our surface waters. Has the water improved in spite of the fact that the crayfish, snails, and algae are not those that one would expect to find in natural rivers and estuaries? To evaluate the success of environmental laws over the past two decades, the author examines the aquatic life of river systems in the Delaware Valley, Texas, and Georgia--the only areas in the United States where she found enough biological data to determine trends over time. Although tracing the impact of environmental laws is difficult, Patrick found that for these three water systems the results were generally positive. However, if society as a whole wants effective environmental legislation, organizations must take on a more systematic and orderly approach to data gathering. Patrick argues that in monitoring the waters, one must study protozoa, algae, and worms as well as fish, oysters, and shrimp; one must track amounts of metal as well as low concentrations of oxygen. In proposing options for the future, the author predicts that the cost of such monitoring will be higher than present expenditures, but the cost of lax control will be even greater.
Originally published in 1992.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Table of Contents
| List of Illustrations | |
| List of Tables | |
| List of Abbreviations and Acronyms | |
| Preface | |
Ch. 1 | What is Happening To Our Surface Waters? | 1 |
Ch. 2 | Impacts of Human Society on the Riverine System - Past and Present | 5 |
Ch. 3 | The Impacts of Population Growth and Movement | 20 |
Ch. 4 | Changes in Societal Activities and Demands | 28 |
Ch. 5 | Federal and State Laws, Regulations and Management | 62 |
Ch. 6 | Effects on Pollution of Laws and Regulations Versus Voluntary Efforts | 96 |
Ch. 7 | How Have Our Surface Waters Changed? | 115 |
Ch. 8 | Options for the Future | 152 |
| Bibliography | 158 |
| Subject Index | 187 |