Page 14 RAIN March/April 1985 Environmentally Sound Small-Scale Water Projects, by G. Tillman, 1981, 148 pp.·, inquire f~r pric.~ from: VITA Publications 1815 North Lynn Street, Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22209 Appropriate Technologies for Water Supply and Sanitation, 14 volumes, 198083, inquire for price and specific titles from: World Bank_ 1818'H Street, NW Washington, DC20433 Modern s~wage disposal systems may be archaic, energy-inefficient, and ecologically ~nsound, but we can't deny that we are healthier with them than we were before we had them. As a result-of im- -provements in water supply and sanitation practices, many debilitating parasites have been controlled. The problem, then, becomes one of using modern science and technology to dev:elop more appropriate disP-osal systems for use in rural area·s of the U.S. and, perhaps more importantly, in developing countries, without losing the gains we've made. Two excellent publications address these issues. The first, E11viro11me11tally Sound Small-'Scale Water Projects, is p·ublished jointly by CODEL (a not-for-profit consortium.of 38 development agencies working in developing countries) and, VITA (a private nonprofit international development organizafion), The second, a 12-volume set entitled Appropriate Te~hnology for Water Supply and Sa11itatio11, ·is published by the World Br;i.nk. Both. publications address planning issues surrou11ding appropriate techniques for drinking-water supply and waste disposal. Both are oriented to developing countries, though the information and principles are dearly applicable to the_ U.S. as well. · · The CODEL/VITA book has a good section on water and health. -Although the case studies of water-borne diseases and parasites are mainly from tropical regions, they provide a good general · packground on the inc:redibly complex ways disease or parasites can travel through water or: use the water cycle. (From my own experiences in Alaska; water-borne diseases are·not problems confined to the tropics.) ·The book is also strong in its discussion of planning, stressing the need to involve the whole community. Just as one industry can pollute an entire groundwater system, so can one individual contaminate a water supply. This is true for ACCESS: Water communes in the U.S. as-well as for villages in developing countries. It is essential that everyone be involved with and understand th~ entire water cycle: This book serves as an.excellent introduction for people who have little background-in the subject and want a·thorough grounding. It is also a good ·· refresher for people familiar with appropriate interaction with the water cycle. In many ways, it provides an excellent introduction for the World Bank publication. ··Th'e World Bank volumes comprise a detailed survey and compilation of information and experience on appropriate water supply and sanitation technology for small-scale rural systems around the world. These books provide excellent case studi~s. They are not books for fhe casual reader~ but are exceptional reference and resource books for people seriously interested in the subject. The volume entitled Health Aspects of Excreta and Sullage Management-A State-of-theArt Review; for example, has 172 pages of text, ?6 pages of tables in the appendices, and 37 pages of references. Not only are these exceptional publica~ tions that will contribute significantly to world health, but beyond that, the well th~ught-out, reasoned, researched, and presented material will create far greater international acceptance of the principle.s. of appropriate technology. -John · Harland John Harland, a chemical engineer, works at Inti:! in . Portland. Groundwater: A Community Action Guide, by Concern Incorporated, 1984, 30 pp., $4 from: Concern Incorporated 1794 Columbia Road NW Washington,·oc 20009 A Citizen's Handbook on Groundwater Protection, by Wendy Gordon, 1984, 76 pp., in,quire for price from: National Resources Defense Council 122 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10168 These handbooks for citizen action describe the nature of groundwater problems, the federal statutes that deal_ with groundwater contamination, and strategies for community action. Both publications include case studies of community efforts to deal with contami- . nated groundwater. · The Concern guide is brief and very readable. The NRDC handbook is more detailed and is helpful for understanding the maze of federal statutes dealing with groundwater. The NRDC publication also gives a II).Ore detailed picture of the nature of groundwater and its contaminants. Both will be found very useful to those embarking on citizen action missions. -Jack Churchill Jack Churchill is a professor at Portland State University. Various d.esigns of tapstmzds (FROM: A Handbook of Gravity-Flow Water Systems)
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