In the words of Elizabeth Kolbert, "Nothing is more important to life than water, and no one knows water better than Sandra Postel." Postel's new book Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity is a "clear-eyed treatise" (Booklist, Starred Review) that offers a hopeful vision of a secure water future. It shows how cities and farms around the world are finding relief from an unexpected source: a healthier water cycle.

A lifelong steward of Earth's finite freswater, Postel's ideas are especially timely in light of tremendous flooding from monster storms and new megafires that threaten our watersheds. From Arizona's Verde Valley to China's "sponge cities," each story in Replenish shows the value of a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to water management that blends engineering, ecology, and economics to capitalize on the fundamental value of nature’s services.

Check out an excerpt from the book below.