The Source

By Martin Doyle

America has 20 major rivers, thousands of minor rivers and 250,000 named rivers and streams! These rivers and streams made America and then in turn America remade them in its image. Thats the working hypothesis of this book and Professor Doyle does a thorough job of elaborating on that hypothesis, while keeping the book highly readable.

He explores thru major rivers, canal systems, dams, sewage systems, potable water infrastructure, and goes thru this cycle of how they made America and then how America remade them.

He has a chapter devoted for each of the major topics like Erie canal, taming the Mississippi, FEMA and incentives, division of responsibilities between Army Corps of engineers and local agencies, and then Colorado water rights.

He then shifts gears towards drinking water and sewage infrastructure. He talks about the miracle clean drinking water in any corner of America. He has a whole chapter dedicated for the incredible story of Chicago evolving a sewage system as they resolve to reverse the flow of Chicago river. He talks about financing these basic infrastructure thru municipal bonds.

He shifts gears one more time - this time to water powered grist mills and then to hydropower plants across America.

He ends the book with stream restorations.

Its one of those books, had I read twenty years ago, I might have considered a career switch.

Absolutely loved it.