Review of ‘Water Supply’, by Peter Naylor

This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper, on (28th March 2005), and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.

If anyone is entitled to write anything about water, it is Peter Naylor. As a consulting engineer and water diviner, the author has a long list of related publications to his credit, including books and articles on wells and springs, well dressing, and the best selling Discovering Dowsing and Divining (Shire).

This new publication begins by reminding us of the behaviour of water and its countless uses and misuses. It sometimes descends on us in pitiless quantities - the story of a great flood is common to many religions, and is responsible for features from icebergs to ski-slopes.

We may think that we have water pretty well tamed by now, yet it still carries killer diseases and, as recent history shows, can run completely out of human control. By contrast, it constantly refreshes this ‘green and pleasant land’, while drinking water is accepted as a basic right in this part of the world. But where does the water come from, how does it arrive at our homes, and how is it kept safe to drink? Peter Naylor answers all these questions as he follows its course from the heavens to the taps. The harnessing and treatment of water is a lesson in ingenuity, covering some astounding facts and figures - it takes ten tons of water to produce a ton of steel, for example.

The Peak plays a role in the story, from our springs and wells to the massive engineering schemes which flooded valleys to provide vital dams and reservoirs. The author provides a comprehensive list of reservoirs around the country, with details of their recreational facilities from bird watching to camping to windsurfing. Other suggested places to visit include pumping stations and museums.

Water Supply contains almost 60 quality illustrations, the majority in colour.

Review by Julie Bunting