The Mirage

Special Features: Library Journal vol. 132 iss. 7 p. 113 (c) 04/15/2007 Most Western and many Eastern states face periodic severe water shortages but only Florida has experienced the iconic spectacle of a Porsche dealership collapsing into a drought-induced sinkhole. Authored by a journalist at the respected business journal Florida Trend this book vividly describes the many abuses of Floridas water supply that increasingly lead to such disasters. Barnett details the growth of overirrigated golf courses and manicured lawns of gated communities that along with wasteful agricultural practices deplete and contaminate the Florida aquifer in spite of the replenishments of torrential summer rains and occasional hurricanes. She skillfully depicts the historical background and national context of Floridas current water woes including Atlantas sprawling suburban communities that threaten the famous Apalachicola oyster beds and the exploding popularity of bottled water that menaces many of the states sparkling freshwater springs. Barnetts Mirage along with Bill Bellevilles Losing It All to Sprawl and Gary Ross Morminos Land of Sunshine State of Dreams completes a recently published trinity of authoritative and readable books that should offer wake-up calls to even the most rapacious Florida developer or overlobbied politician. Highly recommended for Florida and regional collections although libraries in other areas facing water issues may also consider for purchase.?Kathleen Arsenault Univ. of South Florida at St. Petersburg Lib. ?