Watershed by Doreen Vanderstoop

Author:Doreen Vanderstoop [Doreen Vanderstoop]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freehand Books
Published: 2020-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

21

THE FOLLOWING EVENING at the hearing in Gleichen, Dan explained again about the parallel Northern Gateway pipelines and how one used to carry natural gas. The man at the mic asked, “Pray tell, what about the other one?”

Dan looked at him. “The other one?”

“The other parallel pipeline.”

“Of course. The larger Northern Gateway pipeline carried crude oil. It’s currently unsuitable for conveying water. If all goes well, that clean-up should be complete in three years’ time and will nearly triple the amount of saltwater entering Alberta.”

The man squeezed his eyes shut. “Forty million litres per day will provide water for two million people. And Alberta has a population of three million. That’s where the NWA comes in. They think the south isn’t worth saving.”

“We’re all worth saving,” cried the man directly behind him. “But I can barely afford enough water to keep my sheep alive, let alone keep myself clean. Wanna know why it stinks in this room? Me.”

The audience burst into laughter — but high-pitched and nervous, not genuine mirth.

The man at the mic smiled. “You don’t need to tell us, Ronald.” He sat down, and Ronald moved to the front, his face instantly serious. He directed his piercing eyes at Nancy Weston. “Forget our problems with the North. We all know what the real issue is here. If Crystel decides to sell water — now a ‘commodity’ — to the U.S., we’re all screwed. Is that what you’re planning, Madam Chair?” The question froze all movement in the room. Even the clock on the wall seemed to stop its march through time. “Well,” he said, “how are you going to make sure this pipeline won’t pass us by altogether, which would hammer the final nail in our coffin?”

Nancy Weston looked like she was mulling over the possibility of the pipeline leading not to renewal but to death. Dan exchanged a glance with Ursula, leaning against the wall near the stage. Then Nancy said, “I can assure you that Crystel has no intention of selling water to the United States. Crystel is a Canadian Crown corporation, with Canadian interests at heart.”

Dan thought about the letter from Balthazar Frost, and hoped she was right to be so unequivocal. Maybe Percy could lead the charge to keep water from flowing to the States. That would justify Dan breaking the confidentiality agreement.

Nancy turned her eyes on Dan again. “Do you have anything to add, Dan?”

This time, he was ready. “We’re collaborating with the Alberta Water Ministry on research and development of water resources throughout the province. It’s true that our traditional water sources — glaciers — are tapped out. But, if history is any indication, this drought will end, and, when it does, we’ll be ready to draw water from the healthiest aquifers to fill the pipeline as needed. As you all know, trucking water is incredibly expensive.” Another urgent murmur twisted through the room. “The biggest advantage of the pipeline, whether we fill it with desalinated water or water from our own aquifers, is that water will come from much closer by, and so will cost less.

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