Modern societies seek to tame water, to direct and control it for whatever purposes they deem fit. This is hubris. In her highly engaging new book, Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge, the independent journalist Erica Gies goes to great lengths to illustrate this point. The globetrotting author travels to diverse locations, introducing the reader to water-related problems in several countries and the intrepid individuals and organizations trying to solve them.

Gies offers several fascinating case studies of efforts underway around the world that are attempting to cede at least some control back to water. What all of these examples have in common is an awareness of the need to let water do its thing, whenever and wherever possible. Unfortunately, most societies long ago lost an awareness of how water wants and needs to behave. “Most modern humans have forgotten that water’s true nature is to flex with the rhythms of the earth, expanding and retreating in an eternal dance upon the land,” Gies notes.

In a world increasingly filled with impervious surfaces, storm drains, concrete channels, levees, and dams, water rarely gets to linger on the land. And that’s a problem, Gies points out, because “when water stalls on the land, that’s when the magic happens, cycling water underground and providing habitat and food for many forms of life, including us.” 

Among her travels, Gies visits a restored creek in Seattle, “paleo valleys” in California, the Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq, U.K. streams hosting beaver for the first time in centuries, sprawling Indian cities, ancient canals used to recharge groundwater in the Peruvian mountains, the floodplains of the Netherlands, “Sponge Cities” in China, forested mountaintops in Kenya, and Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

As we see in the many places Gies visits, water mismanagement can result in devastating flooding in some places and diminishing water supplies in others. Some especially unlucky places, such as India’s burgeoning city Chennai, routinely experience both of those unhappy outcomes. Elsewhere, we see how attempts to control water have also led to degraded ecosystems and impoverished communities.

In her travels, Gies visits with various “water detectives,” as she describes them, all of whom are seeking to improve humanity’s relationship with water. The detectives “share an openness to moving from a control mindset to one of respect,” Gies writes. “Their openness is at the heart of this book. As our long-held illusion that we can control water is crumbling in the face of escalating disasters, we understand, viscerally, that water always wins. Given that truth, it’s better to learn how to accommodate water, to work with water, and enjoy the benefits that cooperation can bring.”

In describing what she sees in these varied places, Gies coins a phrase to describe the commonality that links them together. “The innovative water management projects I visited around the world all aim to slow water on land in some approximation of natural patterns,” Gies writes. “For that reason, I’ve come to think of this movement as ‘Slow Water.’” 

Time and again, Gies points out the many benefits to be gained by Slow Water approaches. The book abounds with informative, highly detailed, and striking accounts of efforts by activists, scientists, government officials, and, in many cases, ordinary citizens working to find ways to slow down the paths of water.

Gies writes: “In championing Slow Water, the detectives are advocating for a fundamental shift in how we think about ourselves, our systems, and our world. They endeavor to understand water and accept it for what it is instead of trying to shape it into what we might wish it to be. In so doing, they build a partnership with water based on respect, meeting as equals. By closely observing other species’ and cultures’ relationships with water and valuing that knowledge, they find elegant solutions that can begin to heal many of the problems we’re causing ourselves.”

Slow Water is a “practical and proven path to creating a better world in which people are happier and communities more adaptable,” Gies says. “While Slow Water projects reduce the risk of floods and water scarcity and the subsequent anxiety those situations bring, they are simultaneously creating more dynamic, diverse, enticing habitats for us.”

Ultimately, Water Always Wins offers an examination of water management practices around the world that sustain both nature and people. It’s a call to action to address existing problems that will only worsen as a result of climate change. Water sector professionals and interested lay people will enjoy this book and learn from it.