Pulses

Before graduating from college, I was hired by a large water district authority to convert paper cartography and drilled well data into digital maps and database for rapid reference of well location and condition prior to a new reservoir being filled, and after for any future remediation work a well might require. The end product allowed reservoir managers to know what wells needed work to be completely sealed before being inundated, and where wells were in case any of them started leaking after the reservoir was filled. I liked the work even though I did not like the idea of building yet another dam in the world restricting natural water flow across the land. I reconciled my misgivings by rationalizing my role as being the best I could do to contribute to environment protections because I had no power to stop it.

Immediately after graduating from college, I applied for a job working on the Central Arizona Project, sharing experiences gleaned from work I did on the reservoir project which was successfully completed the following year. I didn't get an offer for that job. Now, reflecting on how negatively impacted the Colorado River and environment surrounding it has been by that project, I'm glad I wasn't hired onto it. The reservoir I worked on is now an environmental deteriment to the region, not even able to provide decent sports fishing experiences for anglers due to fish population declines, and all along the length of the river downstream, environments for flora and fauna have been damaged as well. It's as bad, or worse, now more than thrity years after completion of the Central Arizona Project for environment, flora and fauna negatively impacted by that feat of ill-advised civil engineering.

Natural pulses of nature have been interrupted, never to return to their original state again. None of the wells I mapped which were inundated beneath reservoir waters have ever been identified as leakers, but I suspect the ravages of time and pressure and rust will take a toll. At least the water board managing the reservoir has an accurate map of them if any pulse.