Water

As important as water is becoming and as poorly as the arid west has paid attention, what will the future hold for the fresh water of the Great Lakes? John Wesley Powell who did much work to uncover the truths of the west found that eastern land management -and abuse for that matter- would not last in the wild west. He pushed for a different land ordinance in the west, one cognizant of the landscape rather than Jefferson's grid which failed to work at rivers, lakes, mountains, swamps etc - uh the earth is a lopsided sphere and the grid is well, orthogonal! Powell imagined a land divided with the understanding that less rain fell in the region. Today a lake in Arizona, Lake Powell, reminds us hopefully of his historic debate with Frederick Turner who glorified the western culture and spewed lies about the real west.

Today an incorrect decision made in the 1800s seems nearly irreversible, as populations increase, as our society becomes increasingly litigious. Perhaps just as politics and the desire to get rich led to the disbelief in Powell, the same will happen to the Great Lakes region. Perhaps a pipeline of fresh water to the wealthy arid regions such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, L.A. and so on... Acknowledge a mistake? This is the United States.