It’s been an incredible few weeks at The Narwhal, where 315 (!!!) readers have already made the jump and joined the pod — surpassing our June target!

Here’s one of the most touching things a new Narwhal had to say: “Dedicated climate-focused journalism is more important than ever. I often feel like I am powerless to turn the tide on our climate crisis but supporting The Narwhal is one small way I can have a tangible impact.”

If you’re still on the fence about supporting our work, think about it this way: you could just buy us a cup of coffee each month — and be a part of a growing cohort of people who are powering cutting-edge investigative journalism.

In Calgary, the locusts have not descended, the soil remains in place, looting hasn’t started and cannibalism has been, so far, kept at bay. That said, the toilet is a bit stinky and I do miss longer showers. 

For the past two weeks, the city I call home has had to cut back significantly on the water it consumes due to a break in a massive water main. Why does the toilet stink, you ask? City officials are openly asking residents to let the yellow mellow (in their own words, complete with graphics!), but also to hold off on washing dishes until there’s a full load and to think about all the small ways we can help reduce demand. 

Mandatory restrictions on outdoor use, including watering our lawns or washing our cars, are in place. 

In short, Calgary’s temporary water shortage is a bit annoying, but it’s not the end of the world. In some ways, it’s even been positive. 

I’ve been thinking about all the ways I use too much water, and working to come up with solutions: turning off the shower while I soap up, using less water to rinse plates and constructing an embarrassingly haphazard rainwater collection device. (I’m a writer, not an engineer, thank you very much!)
 

What the city is facing is serious — we are cut off from 60 per cent of our water supply — but it’s temporary and manageable. The water is there, we just can’t access it for a while. 

That’s in stark contrast to other areas of the world or the countless First Nations across Canada that continuously struggle to access clean water. Author Tanya Talaga (who’s also chair of The Narwhal’s board of directors) recently pointed out in her Globe and Mail column that residents of Tsuut’ina First Nation, just west of Calgary, have dealt with brown, fetid water coming out of their taps for years.

It’s a good reminder of our privilege, but also of the fact that we can do better to reduce our water use — in Canada, our households use more water per capita than many other parts of the western world — and to prepare for a future that is certainly going to be drier and more challenging. 

How exactly can we do that? That’s something I dug into this week. 

To answer, I looked to other parts of the world, including Mexico City and Bogotá, both of which are facing more chronic water crises brought on by things like drought and failing infrastructure. I also looked into the kind of long-term planning experts say needs to remain front of mind, even when this current crisis eases — from protecting forest watersheds to recycling wastewater to charging for excessive water use. 

I heard it time and time again: these are the things we need to be seriously considering if Calgary, and the rest of the country, are to avoid crises that go beyond annoying to totally catastrophic. 

Calgary — and Calgarians — have shown they can rise to the current challenge, at least temporarily. But the jury is still out on what that means for the future.

Take care and let the yellow mellow,

Drew Anderson
Prairies reporter

 

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