Let There Be Water

By Seth M. Siegel

Because I have lived for the last fifty plus years in places where there isn’t enough water I read a lot of books about water. Some are better than others. This book tells the stories of how Israel went from being a country with chronic water problems to being a net exporter of water. It tells the stories well. There are many stories because complex problems always have complex solutions. One of the critical decisions that started Israel on the way to water independence was to nationalize all water and then to allow water to be sold at market rates. In Israel farmers have to pay for water so they look for ways to save water. which led to the invention of drip irrigation, drought tolerant plants and the use of reclaimed water.

My only critique of the book is that it is a bit too much chamber of commerce. Everything Israel does, in the water area, is wonderful, first or some other superlative. But if you have an interest in water and how to get enough of it look past this flaw and read the book.