The Trout Pool Paradox: the American Lives of Three Rivers.

THE TROUT POOL PARADOX: The American Lives of Three Rivers GEORGE BLACK 

The recipe for a great trout-fishing river is water--fast, cold, and clear. Three Connecticut rivers near New York City that once had the perfect ingredients are the Housatonic and its tributaries, the Shepaug and the Naugatuck. This area has now been the site of some 300 years Of development. Surprisingly, however, the outcome hasn't been all bad. The Shepaug is a pristine fly-fishing paradise when its dam is open and its water runs free. On the other hand, the Naugutuck teeters on extinction and has been known to catch fire because of its chemical contents. Black began to wonder why this difference exists between two waterways with identical topologies that feed into the same river. He examines the tributaries from both an ecological and a political perspective in order to reveal how two rivers met such different fates. He details the nature of a river ecosystem and then considers how people can alter it. One key point is that a good home for trout can also be a good location for iron processing. From there, politics and socioeconomics come into play. Overall, Black eloquently offers some heartfelt and seemingly reasonable solutions to sustaining healthy waterways. HM, 2004, 327 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $24.00.