LETTER: Melting glaciers threaten Sask. rivers[

[Oscar]

Melting glaciers threaten Sask. rivers

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February 27, 2024

I am very alarmed that Rocky Mountain glaciers have peaked, and our Saskatchewan River system will slowly diminish. With the recent announcement by Alberta about renegotiating water use contracts for industry and irrigation, Saskatchewan will be severely affected.

I can see how one day in the not-so-distant future, Saskatoon will run out of water. The proposed expanded irrigation system in Saskatchewan at a cost of at least $4 billion would use even more water. And our provincial government is moving forward with the project — “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.”

I recently asked a water expert if the pasture dugout I was responsible for would rebound. He said it was unlikely, as the pasture is in western Saskatchewan. The renter had been hauling water for the cattle there for the past two years. The dugout has never been short of water since being dug in about 1960.

I am also alarmed at our provincial government proposing small modular nuclear reactors. I am outraged my carbon tax is being used to support this initiative!

I can’t believe anyone would think it reasonable to spend at least $5 billion per reactor and place them right beside water sources we depend on. I can’t believe that the potential for radioactive contamination of our drinking water is not enough to curb this foolhardy and grossly expensive, dangerous idea.

We are blessed with an abundance of solar and wind energy potential, and with the proposed battery manufacturing in Eastern Canada, we ought to be well-positioned to fairly easily reach net zero by 2035.

Karen Kowalenko-Evjen, Saskatoon

(This letter was originally published in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.)