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Refelctions on Water
Houston |
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A large turnout of Rivers Day participants in 2001 take a BBQ break at Smithers' Tatlow Falls. Photo by Greg Tamblyn
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| by Greg Tamblyn For some reason, the only skit I remember from summer camp involved water. I watched a boy painfully drag his parched body across the desert sand (aka the cafeteria floor), gasping for water. With outstretched fingers, he strained for the glass of water conveniently placed in his path. His fingers tightened around the glass. He raised it towards his mouth… dunked his comb, and slicked back his hair. The hall erupted in groans and laughter. The skit reminds me that although water is essential for life and we use it universally, as a society we fail to adequately respect or value it. After all, we are taught that water is a renewable resource; rivers will keep flowing - forever. Only when the skies dry, the rivers wane or water is tainted, do we realize its importance. Just ask a farmer on the prairies or someone living in Walkerton how the lack of water has affected their lives. Rivers are liquid highways hauling water to the sea. These highways are fed by ever-smaller arteries, or tributaries, formed as the land sheds rain and snow. Lakes and wetlands provide rest and regulate flows. Water evaporates, saturating the air until rain escapes, falling to the soil; the excess returns to the river. Floods burst riverbanks and deposit rich sediments onto floodplains, building forests and fertile farmland. This network is ever-changing as water erodes, creates, and shapes the landscape. Indeed, water, air and soil are intricately connected through complex cycles of nutrients, carbon and water. Within watery depths, the cycles continue, shielded from our eyes. Here exists an exotic world - a unique ecosystem where fish, insects, plankton, algae, and a vast array of other plants and animals flourish. In this world, rivers are migration routes for animals, and transportation routes for food and energy. Humans also use waterways for migration and transport, along with hundreds of other uses. However, in an attempt to ease our own lives, we have modified rivers and their watersheds on a massive scale. The consequence is that we have interfered with natural cycles. Now our relationship with rivers is tainted. Too often, we see water as a convenient place to dump waste or, as a force that needs to be tamed. When waterways are viewed this way, they face many threats. Many are minor, alone having little effect. But the impacts add up and cumulatively they damage the integrity of our water system. An analogy is that one cut to your finger may not be noticed and is within your body’s ability to repair. But, 100 or 1,000 cuts can lead to death. Climate change, pollution, dams and diversions, over-fishing, excessive water use, bulk water export, draining of wetlands, widespread resource extraction, road and rail line construction in valley bottoms or unstable terrain, and vehicle access into formerly pristine areas are a handful of the risks that our waterways face. These threats are sourced in theories that tell us that infinite growth and development is not only possible, but also good for our communities and the environment. In this viewpoint, the fact that the earth is finite is not a consideration. "Results-based" codes for resource extraction are a risky venture because the skills and wisdom do not exist to accurately measure slow, chronic changes to ecosystems. The "results" are not clearly defined and are not measurable — at least not cheaply. If you know how to monitor complex ecosystems and biodiversity in a way that prevents loss of ecological integrity and function, please call me. There may be a Nobel Prize coming your way. You may be thinking, "hey, this is northern BC, we still have clean water and healthy rivers." Do we…? It is hard to say with certainty because little long-term monitoring is occurring. True, our rivers may be in better shape than those in the lower mainland, but we certainly have our own issues. Within the past year, residents have had to boil their water in Terrace, Telkwa, and Houston. On a grander scale, an oil spill fouled the Pine River and the water supply to Chetwynd at a cost of millions of dollars. The most common form of water pollution in northwest BC is sewage and animal wastes that runoff from settlement areas or farms, and the sediment that runs into creeks from forest harvesting activities. Sediment may not seem like a problem, but it smothers fish eggs, reduces light transmittance and alters fish habitat. Effluents from mills and mines contribute toxins to our waterways. Some lakes are becoming nutrient enriched (the process is called eutrophication) through run-off from fertilizers, leaking septic tanks and other agricultural waste, resulting in excessive weed growth. With fish, some stocks are close to extinction. Lake Char populations are diminishing due to increasing angling pressure. Salmon and other fish populations, although smaller than 100 years ago, are in relatively good condition. But they could be a lot better. Northwest BC is in the unique position of having some of the last wild rivers in the world. Rivers like the Stikine, Iskut, Dease, Teslin, Tatshenshini, Taku, and Kechika have experienced little development and resource extraction. We have the opportunity to plan wisely in these relatively untouched areas, and manage development within the ability of the ecosystem to absorb impacts. Although you may not live close to any of these wild rivers, opportunities abound to be involved in keeping your rivers and lakes clean and healthy. September 29, marks the 22nd year for BC Rivers Day, now the largest river event in Canada. BC Rivers Day provides an opportunity to celebrate and experience your local rivers, lakes and wetlands. Have fun learning and reflecting on the importance of water to our lives and environment. Consider what we will sacrifice if we don’t take better care of it. Get out on the water. Feel it. Watch it. Listen to it. Relish it. Respect it. Ask yourself "will my great grandchildren have this opportunity?" What else can you do to conserve and protect water and fish? Join a local stewardship or fisheries group. Get involved with volunteer projects along the river. Take a look at your lifestyle. Ask yourself — can I be doing things that will impact water less? Consider walking, bike riding, using water frugally, keeping trees along waterways, using fewer fertilizers and pesticides or checking your septic tank. After all, our rivers and lakes are a reflection on us. What do you want to see? (Greg Tamblyn is the watershed stewardship coordinator for Nadina Community Futures in Houston.) |
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