This is Part 1 of 2 articles on water. The second will focus on the consequences of unbridled growth, particularly of AI facilities in our state and the demands they put on water and their impact on the most vulnerable among us.
Part 1: Water is Life
The title of this monthly column is very intentional. I have always found peace, comfort and guidance from being near water. I feel a spiritual connection to my relatives and to nature when just sitting near a river’s edge and watching it flow by. I know that I’m not alone in this.
All humans share a deep, inherent biological and sacred connection with water. Water is life! Water is Holy! Water is Sacred! Water is a living entity! Water is a relative! Water is the blood of the earth! These are not just catchy slogans. They carry a deep fundamental truth that predates us.
At the core of our creation story is that the earth, water, and all living things were created first. Humans were created last and are the most vulnerable of all living things. Yet, we were given the responsibility to care for it all by our creator: all living and nonliving things. Long after our creation, we are reminded of our biological and sacred connection to water. We are taught to recognize the “Holy Spirit” as “Living Water.”
Biologically, our lives begin in the comfort of the deep: a water-filled womb. We draw oxygen from our watery surroundings for nine months through purifying gills. At birth, we take our first forced breath of oxygen. During our early years outside the womb, our bodies are 75% water. That amount decreases as we grow older to roughly 50%-60%.
In some religious traditions, we are brought to water to be “born again”, to be baptized. And at the end of our lives, our remains are sprinkled with “Living Water”. It is evident that we cannot live biologically or spiritually without water.
Rivers and lakes are rich, complex, and diverse ecosystems of which we are a part. Where cold, clean water is found in abundance, all life is found in abundance. When left to its own, without politics or pollution, living organisms naturally adjust to its abundance or scarcity. Europeans, on the other hand, and others like them are the exception to that rule.
Those humans who have lived here since long before us — whose creation stories and songs remind them still of their sacred connection to water, and all living and nonliving things — see things differently. They have always understood their relationship and responsibility to live as a good relative and to live in right relations with all of creation.
The colonized mind finds it nearly impossible to accept the sacredness of creation. Water is viewed as a commodity, a natural resource to be tamed and exploited. Waterfront property is highly sought-after and always comes with a hefty price. To our own detriment, we tame rivers, we draw from them, and discharge our waste into them. Our largest and most densely populated cities in Washington and elsewhere are built adjacent to water. The potential for human expansion seems limitless, but not without water. However, it appears that we will continue to use it and abuse it until it is all gone.
It is argued that deserts bloom and we have cheap power thanks to dams. Access to water has allowed us to grow crops on otherwise arid ground. Our prosperity is directly related to the availability of water, both what we see on the surface and what lies beneath our feet. Dams cut off the flow of the earth’s blood like a tourniquet. Dams, for all the good they do in our state and elsewhere, have also displaced people and contributed to a cultural death.
Our rivers and waterways deserve better. Exploiting water comes
with serious consequences. This summer will be a true test of how we value water here in Spokane. If predictions hold, we are in for a very hot, dry summer. Water scarcity and rationing are a given. Car washing businesses will see reduced hours. Lawn watering will be restricted, and water-dependent exotic grasses, shrubs, and plants will be stressed. Some will likely die. Every household will feel the impact of water scarcity. The old adage “You don’t miss the water till the well runs dry” will prove itself.
All humans share a deep inherent biological and sacred connection to water. Unfortunately, convenience, prosperity, and cultural misunderstandings have removed us from seeing ourselves as protectors of it. Seeing all things in nature as living relatives is not at the forefront of our colonized minds. We seem determined to be our worst enemy. “Drill baby drill,” toxic dumping and unbridled growth will rob our descendants of “Living Water” and put life on this planet on the brink.
It is no accident that Spokane has grown and prospered. The vision to continue to grow in all directions from downtown is short-sighted, given the potential scarcity of clean water.
We know better and must do better to protect water. Water is why we are here! Water is life! How it goes, we go. We share a kinship with it and all of creation. Abusing our relatives has never proven to be a good idea.
Dr. Bartlett is a retired educator. He retired from Gonzaga University in 2007 and Eastern Washington University in 2020.