Once believed to be a problem only in the western United States, water shortages are now an issue coast to coast, from New England to California. Susan J. Marks bases her comprehensive analysis on the current water conflicts being fought over land, in local government agencies, and in the courtroom. She presents the findings of university studies, think tanks, and research groups and the opinions of water experts including Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institure for Studies in Development, Enviroment, and Security. There can be no doubt, she concludes, that fresh water in the United States is a fragile and diminishing resouce and its future depends on smart, careful panning now. Water is the new oila precious and diminishing natural resource, one ultimately far more important and far less replaceable. Aqua Shock is a lucid examination of how America arrived at this crisis point. Susan J. Marks focuses on the most pressing issues: who controls the water, what risks loom, and how we can preserve and protect our most undervalued resource.