Venice is sinking - six feet over the past 1000 years. Although there is a natural geologic tendency for some sinking, humans have long exacerbated the problem by ruthlessly exploiting underground water resources for industrial purposes. This book explains how the city and its canals were built and what has led up to this long-foreseen crisis. It explores the various options currently being considered for "solving" this problem and chronicles the ongoing debate among scientists, engineers and politicians about the pros and cons of each potential solution to save Venice from slipping beneath the rising waters of the Adriatic.