A River Lost by Blaine Harden - Research Paper Example

Task “A River Lost" by Blaine Harden Introduction The Columbia River is the fourth largest river by volume in the United s, running along 1200 miles, approximately 2000 KM. The Canadian Rockies are the source of the river, which empties its content into the Pacific Ocean. The large size of the river earned it a native name by the locals, “Nichi-wana” meaning “The Big River”. This was long before the white man came along to inhabit the river. This river played a very important role to the Native Americans that resided alongside its banks for wildlife and fishing, especially salmons, which were in abundance at the river. The Columbia River plays host to great variety of anadromous species of fish, which always make a migration cycle from the freshwater habitats of the river to the saline water habitat found in the Pacific Ocean (England, Mazur, Penha and Robbins). The vast majority of these fish species are the salmons, and this was a mare economic substance for the natives who settled around the river. In fact, traders around the region, especially from Western North America, traded for fish at the Columbia River. In addition to being a good source of food, and income for the locals, the river also has heavy flows and steep gradient, which provide massive potential for electricity generation. As such, the river hosts over fourteen hydroelectric dams, which produce enough electricity to cater for the needs of the surrounding communities and businesses. However, the benefits of this river were short-lived owing to the economic investments made on it by the federal government of the United States, an investment that claimed all the tributes and environmental serenity provided by the river. The Book Title Blaine Hardens writes about the Columbia River in his intriguing excerpt of how external interference led to the destruction of a good river. He names it “A River Lost”, showing the level of damages done on the river to an extent that it is no longer resourceful to the locals but rather poses great danger to them and their continued survival around the river. The Columbia River, which was initially the “Great River of the West” fulfilled the dreams of its neighborhood by providing them with cheap electricity, and water used for irrigation and farming purposes, hence flourishing gardens found in the desert. However, these fantasies in the memories of the natives were short-lived, as all this goodness vanished, once the natives suffered exploitation from invaders and inhabitants, as well as, the federal government (Harden 65). This book covers the exploitation of the Columbia River, of the Native Americans whose livelihoods circled around the river, of the endangered species of the salmon fish, and majorly of the nuclear waste. The once wild and clear river is now a grotesque shadow of its former self, tamed to puddle remains. This book explores the adverse effects of the economic activities carried out on the river, how it changed completely the lives of the people, especially the natives who depended on the river for survival. It also considers the environmental degradation caused by economic activities carried out on the river, such as the nuclear plant and mining of plutonium around the river basin and banks. Hanford Project The River Lost is a colloquial meaning of the destruction the Columbia River suffered after the federal government situated a nuclear plant near its banks. This was at a place known as Hanford. The Hanford site played host to the Hanford Nuclear Project situated in Washington State, south central. Hanford was home to the Nuclear B reactor. This was one of the world’s largest and first-ever full-scale reactors for plutonium production. The first nuclear bomb created in the world used plutonium manufactured from this reactor. As such, the natives of the Columbia River carry the burden of developing one of the world’s deadliest weapons, a nuclear bomb like the one detonated in Nagasaki, Japan during the Second World War. Not only did Hanford site play host to the largest plutonium reactor in the world, it also hosted nine other nuclear reactors, as well as, a pedigram of plutonium processing complexes (England, Mazur, Penha and Robbins). Due to the high-powered nuclear activity at the Hanford site, the environment around it suffered massive pollution and degradation in terms of radioactive materials and waste. Water from the Columbia River played the major role of cooling the nuclear reactors, and since there were no strict measures in environmental management and waste disposal, this contaminated water drained back to the river where it killed all the fish and other living organisms that sort habitat in the river. As such, this was the end of the massive population of salmon species within the Columbia River, and a major loss to the native inhabitants over their main source of income, fishing. However, the decommissioning of the Hanford site as a base for plutonium mining and nuclear reactors was a blessing long delayed in the eyes of the natives, because it was a little too late and the damage done on their environment was a little to extensive (Harden 65). The decommissioning of this nuclear site once the cold war came to an end did not spell such great news for the inhabitants of the region due to the extensive nature of environmental degradation done over the years. For instance, the radioactive wastes, matched at high level, left behind by the nuclear reactors after decades of producing nuclear bombs and plutonium were fifty three million United States gallons, approximately 200,000m3. This was a just a tip of the iceberg as present at this site was a further solid waste of seven hundred and ten thousand cubic meters of radioactive wastes (710,000 M3). This further extends to include the contamination of ground water located beneath the sites of the nuclear reactors, at about 200 square miles (520km2). The statistics just go to show the high level of damages caused to the once pure and fresh river by the pursuit of human kind for economic and military prowess, all in the disregard of the purity of nature. Down Winders of Columbia River The natives and residents of Columbia River thus became down winders owing to the nuclear activity carried out along the river at Hanford site. Down winders is a term in reference to all the communities, individuals, and even ecosystems that suffer exposure to contamination by radioactive wastes, or to nuclear fallout, especially from activities relating to nuclear energy production. This incorporates exposures from testing nuclear weapons or unforeseen nuclear accidents that occurs either underground or in the atmosphere. The case of the natives living alongside Columbia River was due to exposure to ionizing radiation caused by nuclear wastes and nuclear weapons produced at the site. However, the major extent of nuclear exposure that affected these residents extensively was the high-level wastes of radioactive material left behind by the nuclear plants while undertaking their nuclear production and plutonium mining processes. These wastes contaminated a large portion of the environment, such as land, water both in the river and in underground, as well as, the air or atmosphere around (Harden 65). These down winders communities of the Columbia River suffer severe effects on their health conditions and status, such as a hyper-active incidence of cancer and cancer related infections, congenital malformations, as well as, thyroid diseases that are non-cancerous in nature. This is all thanks to their exposure to the adverse effects of radioactive contamination and fallout in nuclear production. Such exposures to radioactive material cause detrimental risks to the health and well-being of the people living in such downwind communities. As such, “A Lost River” title chosen by Blaine Harden in reflection to the effect of nuclear activity on this land did not single out the water effects alone, but rather the entire environment, inclusive of air, water, land, and the living organisms. These include the human beings, mostly natives of the land, plants and general ecosystem of the river, as well as aquatic animals that sort refuge in the waters of the Columbia River, such as the salmon fishes (England, Mazur, Penha and Robbins). Effects of Nuclear Testing on the River From the facts discussed above, it is evident that the location of the nuclear project at Hanford site was the beginning of the woes of the Columbia River natives and residents over the decades. The river that was originally pure and safe for drinking, farming, transport, fishing, and other economic activities suddenly turned out to become a savage that would haunt them and their lineage for the rest of their generations. The wastes at Hanford site travelled downstream and endangered other communities along the river all the way to the Pacific Ocean where it emptied its toxic contents. The effects were extensive and detrimental owing to the large volumes of nuclear wastes, and exposure to radioactive wastes by human beings and other members of the ecosystems through nuclear pollution in the water, in the ground, as well as, in the atmosphere. The most affected species were the salmon fish in the Columbia River, which died from radioactive toxins, and the human beings living around the Hanford site, and in other down winders communities living downstream the Columbia River. Death of the River/Change of Locals Lifestyles Apart from health related complications that the natives of this land suffered from the presence of nuclear production sites along the Columbia River, they also suffered an economic blow. This was especially because of the loss of their major source of income. These natives were farmers and anglers. They used water from the Columbia River for irrigation purposes in the once desert land and turned it into a fertile agricultural land. However, with the high level of radioactive wastes in the water, it was even more dangerous to use the water for growing crops, as this would transfer the nuclear toxicity to the plants. Consequently, they went back to famine because of a fall out in their agricultural practices. (Harden 65). To make things worse, their alternative economic activity, and a sustainable source of income, fishing, also suffered a major blow. This was after all the salmon in the water perished due to the high-level toxicity of radioactive wastes released in the waters of Columbia River. As such, the salmon fish travelling cycle from the river to the Pacific Ocean and back stopped. Therefore, there was no more income for these residents, as the water could not support any aquatic life, especially the salmon fish that they caught and traded with the north for great amounts of cash. This left the residents along the river poor, jobless, hungry, as well as, very sick, owing to severe exposure to radioactive materials or wastes (England, Mazur, Penha and Robbins). Conclusion As such, this was truly a lost river as emancipated by the author. Not only did the river die, but also the people and environment around it. The river that was once flourishing became a ghost of its former self. The once stable and independent natives along the river became sick beggars, whilst the fish and other aquatic life succumbed the toxins from nuclear reactors. Work Cited Columbia River United, Inspired To Protect The Columbia River. "The River History/Her Story" http://www.cruwa.org/intro.htm Great Outdoor Recreation Pages. "Destinations: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area" http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/or_colum.htm Harden, Blaine. A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print. England, Daniel, Mazur Joel, Penha Leanne and Robbins Peter. The Columbia River. Retrieved from http://web.bryant.edu/-langlo/ecology/cplimbiahmepage.html Read More