Review of Water Resources: Science and Society by George M. Hornberger and Debra Perrone

Water Resources: Science and Society is not a typical college textbook on water resources management, nor is it a book on hydrology. It is a cocktail: a light mix of both water resources and hydrology, with a dash of water law, a smidge of water quality, and garnished with a discussion on water management. The net result is quite appealing; there is definitely an audience for this type of material.

A career devoted to managing and safeguarding water resources for current and future generations is a noble one. Often, students who choose this path either have a calling or discover it through their undergraduate classes. The authors of this review, serving as the Program Coordinator and faculty, respectively, of the interdisciplinary graduate Water Management and Hydrological Science program at Texas A&M University (TAMU) (Kaiser 2008), often encounter students who express a desire to be part of this noble community but fear that they may not have the right background or taken the right mix of courses to pursue an advanced degree in this field. The TAMU water program was one of the first interdisciplinary water programs in the country, developed based, among others, on the recommendations of the National Research Council (1991), which recognized that the water industry is complex. The program has, for the last 15 years, been educating the next generation of water managers and scientists—one that is able to integrate diverse disciplines and work seamlessly with an array of professionals, policy makers, and the public. The non-thesis Master of Water Management, for example, is designed to give students a broad but sound foundation. Students pursuing this degree are required to take what is deemed the common body of knowledge classes, which includes water law, water economics, and water resources management. Hornberger and Perrone’s book echoes these same objectives.

The book is divided into four parts. Part I—Water Availability: A Physical Science Primer is a brief introduction to physical hydrology. In four chapters, namely, the hydrological cycle, surface water, groundwater, and soil moisture, the authors present the major components of hydrology. A brief discussion on the Thornthwaite water budget is given in the first chapter. In Chapter 2, they present and contrast water availability across the globe, discuss spatial and temporal water fluxes, and explain how the return period of annual flood is calculated. In the third chapter, groundwater resources in different parts of the world are presented, along with a discussion on groundwater use and the challenges that may result from groundwater mining. Finally, in Chapter 4, the authors present a short description of soil types and moisture and its importance in agriculture.

After a presentation on water availability, Part II focusses on water demand in the agricultural, energy, and domestic sector, as well as environmental needs. A discussion of the different agricultural practices, including organic agriculture, is presented along with an analysis of economic, environmental, and water trade-offs, and it concludes with a summary of virtual water and water footprint. In the chapter on energy water use, the authors compare the water needs of producing electricity from different sources along with the use of life-cycle assessment techniques to compare their merits and drawbacks through an environmental cost and benefit analysis.

Globally, domestic water use represents a small percentage of total water use as opposed to agriculture. However, the first image that comes to mind when discussing water uses is potable water. Access to water was central to a number of United Nations Millennium Development Goals and is further built into the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite decades of progress, access to safe drinking water is still not universal. The irony is that a number of water-rich countries are still not able to provide widespread access to water and tremendous work still remains (Singh et al. 2014). Fig. 7.2 in the book is particularly compelling; it reminds us of the stark contrast between the per capita municipal water withdrawal of developed and developing countries.

In the final chapter of Part II, the authors remind students of the importance of ecosystem services, the need to leave enough water in lakes and rivers to support aquatic flora and fauna, which in turn support humans.

In Part III, the authors present the well-known challenges to water availability: population growth and climate change. When exploring the impact of population growth on water availability, they conclude that there is not a water scarcity problem, but rather a spatial and temporal problem, that is, the water is not where the people are, and vice versa, and it is not always available when it is most needed. Climate change is disrupting the hydrological cycle. The effects are not uniform—some places will be more affected than others and water resources management and planning should be revisited accordingly.

A topic that is often overlooked in books on water resources management, most likely because they are written by scientists and engineers, is water law. This is particularly important in the US, where each state has a different set rules and regulations. In some cases, there is a disconnect between the law and science because the law was written before one had a good understanding of how water moves in the hydrological cycle—both above and below the ground. An exposition of the complexity of the law in the US is important because water resources management is affected by policies, and policies should be driven by science.

In the last section of the book, the authors discuss opportunities for water management using several case studies at the basin and city scale, and concludes with a discussion of water security, scarcity, and competition and trade-offs.

Hornberger and Perrone have been able to incorporate all the complexities associated with water resources management and its integration with societal needs and challenges in a simple and accessible text. This book will not only be helpful for students, both undergraduate and graduate, who are new to the field, but also to anyone who may be interested in learning about this complicated subject. The authors deserve a lot of applause for bringing a wealth of experience to bear on this complex topic, especially these days, when water seems to be at the center of public discussion and forums.