Hard Water: Politics and Water Supply in Milwaukee, 1870-1995

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"At a time when East Coast cities had been providing water for half a century and Midwestern cities had begun to offer such service as a necessary component of urban life, Milwaukee was still struggling with balancing the desires of its citizens, the opinions of different political parties regarding the best method for service provision, and the best means of providing those services. Hard Water shows how these struggles have continued over Milwaukee's 155-year history, and how costly the consequences can be." Kate Foss-Mollan's story of how Milwaukee got its water supply weaves together strands from political science, urban history, technology and biology, and media studies. From arguments about supplying poor neigborhoods with water to partisan debates over the need for a filtration plant, the history of Milwaukee's water supply provides many lessons for today.

SYNOPSIS

Foss-Mollan presents a history of the politics surrounding Milwaukee's public water utility from 1870-1995. Coverage includes, for example, the controversy surrounding supplying water to poor neighborhoods, partisan debates about the need for a filtration plant, and the cryptosporidium outbreak of 1993. The author has taught history at the U. of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was previously employed as a water chemist at the Milwaukee Water Works.