This month two incidents demonstrated just how easily our lives can be disrupted. A water main break outside St. Albert Place shut down a key municipal building for a short time. In Edmonton, a failure in steel beams has delayed the completion of the Groat Road bridge replacement project. The result is snarled traffic, which is slowing commuters and frustrating students trying to get into the city for exams.
Events such as these illustrate how easily our “advanced” society has come to rely on the technology and conveniences that shape our day-to-day living.
Not only do we depend on them, we take them for granted. How often do we wonder if this time the lights won’t come on, or the water won’t run? For most of us the answer is likely never. We flick a switch, turn a tap or press a button and there is only one expected outcome – power, water, heat.
But the faucet, light bulb and vents are not conduits to some alternate plane where fantastical creatures magically bring you the utilities you rely on every day. Nor do bridges and roads maintain themselves to ensure a smooth ride to work every morning. The systems to ensure the lights stay on, the water runs and the heat keeps you warm are enormous and expensive. In many cases they are also old.
Imagine what would happen if the systems supporting these modern wonders failed. We have all had small tastes of such a catastrophe – outages that have lasted a few hours, maybe even a day or two. Our world grinds to a near halt. Stores close, expensive computers housing the information we use day-to-day become paperweights and we quickly realize few of us have the skills to survive in a world without our modern amenities.
While it is small in comparison to potential problems, the closure of St. Albert Place due to a broken water main reminds us how fragile our system can be. It also reminds us how at its mercy we are.
While these latest events have only caused us minor inconveniences, what if, for example the water main break had been a citywide problem? Or involved more than one utility?
A report from the Conference Board of Canada in 2012 stated that our nation’s power grid needs billions in repairs and upgrades to ensure reliability into the future. A similar report in the United States, where much of the power grid was built during the Second World War, warns of the system’s growing inability to keep up with demand.
Nicholas Ashbolt, an environmental microbiologist who was giving a talk earlier this week in Edmonton, also warned of the need to begin reimagining water systems in Canada. He suggests that the present model is unsustainable as pipes that are only 50 years old are beginning to crumble.
Our national, provincial and municipal leaders need to seriously consider the state of utilities they oversee and find innovative ways to ensure the lights stay on but not break the bank.
The demand and pressures will only grow with populations and with our ever-growing reliance on technology.
