Five crazy schemes for more water

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:53:00 +0000

For decades Canadians have lived with a fear that the U.S. will come for their plentiful freshwater. Perhaps not in the form of armed soldiers crossing the border with empty buckets, but through trade agreements and corporate shenanigans. With each U.S. drought, our northern neighbors grow more wary. George W. Bush fanned the flames in 2001 when he told reporters that he wanted to talk to Ottawa about water exports for Texas. And over the years three major Canadian-US export projects were planned (more on that below).

Although we haven’t raided Canada’s hydrologic treasure chest yet, large water transfers across countries, states and watersheds are commonplace. The great hand of politics usually plays a major role in many of these interbasin transfers. The Los Angeles Aqueduct (of Chinatown infamy) may be one of the most well-known in recent U.S. history, as its construction (and backroom politicking) destroyed the farming community of Owens Valley.

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Five crazy schemes for more water