If you are not a religious person, you might not appreciate the beauty of Psalm 121 in the richness of the King James version of the Christian Bible. It has had many variations in revised bibles but none are as eloquent. It came to mind today when discussing the water pollution control centre on the other side of the creek next door.
To be frank, water pollution control is the euphemism in Babel for the sewage works. A city engineer working on a project there was once heard to say that the excess water that was piped out to the middle of Kempenfelt Bay was almost drinkable. It makes you wonder: What does he mean by ‘almost?’
As some readers are aware, this blog has waxed eloquent over the years when discussing the wildlife and natural beauty of our creek. It is a definite asset to the community. There is not the same warm feelings for the sewage works. It has been under fairly constant construction for the past five years. The city has been running construction project after construction project ad nauseam.
The first project of note was holding tanks for a parade of honey wagons that now make regular daily deliveries to the works. (And if you do not know what a ‘honey wagon’ is, it is a very large transport with a very large tank to carry the offerings of septics as well as the holding tanks of yachts, recreational vehicles, Johnny-on-the-spots, etc.) The even huger underground holding tanks hold their contents in the ready until very late at night when the city’s toilets are less involved in their regular function and there is increased capacity in the sewage treatment system.
That project was finishing up three years ago, when the bulldozers started levelling the trees and berms of the park that graced the other side of the creek and served as an attractive buffer between the creek and the buildings of the sewage works. The wanton destruction prompted many calls to city hall and a tired operator informed people that it was temporary as construction required a lay-down yard for the next couple years. She assured callers that the park would be restored bigger and better after the supposed two years of construction.
Hah! That lady lied. When talking to the site foreman earlier this year about when he was moving out, we asked why the chain link fence with its barbed wire still protected a mainly flat and now little-used field. He explained that was where the next construction was and the fence was permanent.
This is all in aid of explaining why, I lift up mine eyes unto the hills that surround us, savour their early dusting of fall colors and say: Dear God, do something about those God damn engineers.
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