I have been fortunate to take many environmental classes, but Geography of the James has been the most interactive and hands on, by far. Being able to see the things we talk about in class, makes the topics much more interesting. Additionally, this class has focused much more on water than many of my other classes. Since I grew up spending most of my time on the water, it has been great to learn more about it. As I learn about the James River watershed, I feel I am able to also learn about watershed I grew up in, just by comparing it to the James. Learning about the watersheds has caused me to realize how unnatural the many watersheds are. Man’s thumbprint tailors them to our needs. After learning about many of the topics we have covered in class, my concern for watershed issues have drastically increased.
Growing population and increasing demand for resources have stimulated the increased manipulation of watersheds. Collective impacts of dams, water impoundment, diversion, regulated flows, stream channelization, wetlands drainage, and groundwater extractions progressively modify public lands, according to Pringle. Dams plague the Colorado River that runs through Austin, Texas. The James River has a huge cut through it, in order to facilitate easier travel and trade. Changes such as these are common throughout the United States. Additionally, large amounts of water are pumped from rivers to support growing populations in arid regions, especially the western United States. The famously treacherous Gunnison River in Colorado is a beautiful location for world-class rainbow trout fishing and rock climbing, but has been threatened because of population growth in the Colorado Front Range, including Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs. The famed Colorado River of the Southwest barely even drains into the Sea of Cortez any more. Dammed rivers in the Northwest United States have been detrimental to salmon that rely on free flowing rivers to breed. These truly amazing engineering feats have caused formidable environmental problems.
Although the environmental problems caused by manipulating water are regrettable, it is important to highlight the significant benefits of these actions. Watershed manipulation has helped support agriculture, energy and population growth. We grow crops and raise cattle in many places that we could not naturally raise them. Farmers and ranchers rely on the irrigation from rivers and aquifers to water the crops or grass for pasture. Farmers relied heavily on irrigation this past summer when severe drought struck the Midwestern United States. Without the use of irrigation, there would be a shortage in the food supply that could potentially cause a price shock and hurt the economy. Additionally, the creation of dams has provided significant amounts of hydroelectricity. This has helped power the United States without burning additional fossil fuels. Dams have also allowed a build-up of water that can be used for municipal uses with a growing population. Watershed manipulation and use has helped propel the United States into an economic powerhouse.
However, many of these manipulations are not sustainable. They have been provided economic benefits since their creation, but now we are starting to see the negative effects they have and their limited life. Pringle argues that the municipal growth and drought will be two major challenges to freshwater resources. Much of this growth will occur in the arid West, where there is room to grow. With a growing population and increasing demand, we are manipulating and using water at an unsustainable rate. After reading Pringle’s article, I can see that we have already changed and adversely affected man watersheds, which also affects areas downstream. I believe that the lack of clean freshwater will be one of the biggest issues my generation will face as we age. I think we have viewed water as a completely renewable resource. We are just starting to realize the damages of our actions.
Dealing with a lack of freshwater and damaged aquatic and riparian ecosystems with be a challenge, in addition to other environmental issues, such as climate change or deforestation. How should we deal water? The answer will likely be multiple synergistic solutions. Education will certainly be a huge part of the answer. Why not educate children about these issues? Taylor had an interesting experience teaching children how water and pollution move through a watershed. If children are educated about water and other environmental issues, even at a basic level, then at least children will be cognizant of these issues at a young age and their knowledge and concern can grow from there. An example of a more direct, extreme example is dam removal. Many dams were built for the for water diversion, agriculture and factories, but some are no longer useful. The Elwha Dam in Washington was recently removed in 2012. The healing process is lengthy, but the river will be restored. If nothing else, drastic removal projects bring needed attention to watershed issues.
Although rivers like the James have dramatically improved their terrible pollution since the 1980’s, we still have much to strive for. It is possible that many people are overestimating the impacts of our actions. Ecosystems could be more resistant than we thought. In central Texas, we have dammed the rivers, but now we have lakes that support a large amount of aquatic and riparian species. Can we say that this “created” ecosystem is worse than the natural one would be? Additionally, environmentalism is a relatively new concept in modern society, so maybe we are just now figuring out what we need to do to be sustainable. We started with cleaning up rivers, now we might be moving onto restoring the nature of watersheds. However, it is critical to remember the uncertainty of these statements. We really do not know how much we have affected ecosystems and we do not know the consequences. We have changed the hydrological landscape at an unprecedented scale. The uncertainty is scary and too important to chance. Clean water is critical to our ecosystems and survival. We are fortunate to have a relatively natural James River, but as Jenni noted, I too was struck by how we sliced a new shorter path in the James, which completely changed that whole section of the river. An example as drastic as that reminds us to cherish our watersheds and keep them as natural and healthy as possible.
Be sure to watch this video on dam removal if you missed it above!