Wade In: How Water Became the Heart of My Fiction
The People Fight Back 2
With so many urgent social justice issues facing us today, rising
inequality, attacks on healthcare, threats to reproductive rights, I'm
often asked why I chose water as the central theme of my novel. At
first, I wasn't sure how to answer. Perhaps it began with my water
bill--$500 seems outrageous for three people. But deeper than cost,
there's a growing unease in our household. Ray only drinks bottled
water, paying 2000 times more than if he drank it from a tap. I filter
mine through a PUR system, even though officials say there's no lead
risk because our home has plastic pipes. Still, I hesitate to trust
what comes out of the tap.
That distrust was reinforced last week when I spoke with a man who
manages the water system for a medium-sized town just north of
Portland. To my surprise, he said he doesn't drink Bull Run water. I
was always told Portland had one of the cleanest water sources in the
country. The repeated detection of Cryptosporidium, a parasite that is
particularly dangerous to those with compromised immune systems, casts
a shadow over our so-called "pristine" water. Knowing that there are
rusting pipes in various locations throughout the city added to my
anxiety, as does the industrial waste and auto runoffs that pollute the
water people swim in. Officials insist our water is safe--for most
people.
But does that include me as I age and my immune system weakens? The
long-delayed filtration project, intended to address this issue, is now
postponed until at least 2027. It faces significant cost overruns that
are likely to affect me through added taxes or higher water rates.
Seniors on fixed incomes and low-income households will continue to be
hit the hardest.
Reading Blue Gold by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke was a turning point.
The book revealed how multinational corporations met behind closed
doors and declared that water should no longer be a basic right, but a
commodity. They pushed to privatize public systems, bottle and sell
water for profit, and even trade water futures on the Stock Market.
That knowledge was chilling. As I dug deeper, I uncovered stories of
energy companies acquiring water rights, of family farmers being pushed
off their land, and of groundwater being diverted to enrich already
wealthy investors. Across the globe, millions are displaced or left to
suffer due to water scarcity. In the Middle East, water has become a
weapon that's used to control, subjugate, and destroy.
Drinking water is essential for survival. It comprises approximately
60% of the human body. We can survive only a few days without it.
Despite knowing this, we've allowed greed to dictate access to this
most essential resource. I believe, fiercely, that clean, accessible
water is a human right.
That belief drove me to write The Water Factor, a fact-based thriller
that aims to wake readers up. In the first chapter, I imagined a
community forced to rely on trucked-in water. I assumed it was
fiction-until I discovered it's a reality in many places, even in
water-rich states like Hawaii. The more I researched, the more
plausible and alarming my plot became.
Learning about water isn't easy. Utilities often dodge transparency
laws. But there are nonprofits in most communities working to uncover
the truth. I urge you: read The Water Factor, then dig into how your
own water system works. Ask questions. Demand transparency. Because the
right to water may be slipping through our fingers, and we need to act
before it's too late.
Cool Water was a Cowboy Song written by Bob Nolan in 1924 that became
popular during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. I used to hear
it occasionally when I was a kid. The song was originally posted on
protestsonglyrics.net. It goes like
this. . .
All day I've faced a barren waste,
without the taste of water, cool water.
Old Dan and I with throats burnt dry,
And souls that cry for water,
Cool, clear water.
(CHORUS:)
Keep a-movin', Dan,
Don't you listen to him, Dan,
He's a devil not a man,
And he spreads the burning sand with water. Dan, can you see that big
green tree,
Where the water's running free,
And it's waiting there for me,
And you?
The nights are cool and I'm a fool,
Each star's a pool of water, cool water.
But with the dawn, I'll wake and yawn,
And carry on to water,
Cool, clear water.
(CHORUS)
The shadows sway and seem to say,
"Tonight we pray for water,
Cool water."
And way up there He'll hear our prayer,
And show us where there's water,
Cool, clear water.
(CHORUS)
Dan's feet are sore, he's yearning for,
Just one thing more than water,
Cool water.
Like me, I guess, he'd like to rest,
Where there's no quest for water,
Cool, clear water.
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I look forward to your comments on my BLOG SITE.
If you are interested in my art, you can reach me at
marilynne@eichingrfineart.com
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________________________________________________________
The Water Factor is a Firebird International Award winner for best
dystopian novel and a Literary Titan recipient for best thriller.
Though fun to read, it carries a severe message about water scarcity.
It is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be
purchased on AMAZON
, Barnes & Noble
, Powell's Books,
and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask
your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram or buy from Annie Bloom's
Books in Multnomah Village.
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