Bodies of Water

Man-made oasis in the desert. 

In my last post I wrote how Jack Swilling made this desert a populated city with the simple act of creating and restoring water channels. Now, 144 years later, the fact that Phoenix is ​​the fifth most populated city in the United States shows that everything invested by Swilling continues coming to live.

Now, it is common knowledge that in a desert there are few natural water sources. And Phoenix being a city in the middle of a desert is no exception. However, the city maintains water equilibrium thanks to the artificial water features that have been created.

One of the best-known artificial water features located outside the Phoenix metropolitan area is Lake Pleasant. This lake is one of the most important sources of water in the area. And although the area is recognized as a regional park, the center of attraction is the 10,000 acres of water that encompasses the lake.

But, although Lake Pleasant is one of the largest bodies of water throughout the state of Arizona, the lake does not cease to be an artificial source of water. To embrace the vast area covered by the lake it was necessary to import water from the Colorado River and the Agua Fria River. Still today both rivers continue feeding water to the lake.

In any case, I am pondering on sources of water in the desert not because I live in Phoenix, but because I am going through one of those seasons we call a desert. It's no secret that I'm looking for my next professional opportunity, but what many may be unaware of is the emotional rollercoaster that the search was causing me. Throughout the last couple of months, at some point or another during this process I have experienced anxiety, impatience, abandonment, frustration, exasperation, despair, hopelessness, discouragement, faintness, defeatism, and fainting at heart.

But discovering where most of the water consumed in Phoenix originates, I realized that in the same way that people in Phoenix don’t expect rain to meet all their water needs, I cannot expect God to be the only source of encouragement in my life. Just as each man-made channel and water feature was designed, I am responsible for adding to my life people from who "rivers of living water flow" (John 7:38).

In the middle of the season I'm living, I've had to design my desert. It has been my sole responsibility to seek people to encourage me. I’ve had to identify people who can impart wisdom to me at times when I've had to make a decision. I’ve had to rely on friendships to rejoice me. I’ve had find individuals who I can cry with. I’ve had to reach out to people who would listen to me. I’ve had to attract people who infect me with hope.

So now I can appreciate more than ever how important it is to seek, find and rely on people with whom to recreate with. I am convinced that just like Lake Pleasant serves as a place of escape in the desert, the people around us serve as a pleasant refuge in the midst of our difficult situations.

Altogether, the Bible expresses it this way: "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul" (Proverbs 27:9, The Message). Therefore, although it is our tendency to look up and yearn for rainfall, we should look around and find the people who represent water amid our emotional drought. The truth of the matter is that we cannot ignore the wealth of life, encouragement, and hope that each person holds. 

Desert Engineering

Usually people associate civil engineers with nothing more and nothing less than bridges. And although every bridge requires a civil engineer to be designed, civil engineering encompasses more than the design of bridges. So the question is: what is a civil engineer?

A civil engineer is a visionary. It is an individual with the ability to visualize the potential of any space, field, and land. But the specialty of all civil engineer is to bring a vision to life. A civil engineer is a creator. This is someone able to develop and urbanize places plagued with nothingness.

I am a civil engineer. My first professional work took place in a civil engineering services consulting firm. My job was to produce design drawings for the future development of residential and commercial projects. In retrospect, my tasks were simple and technical in nature; yet, my favorite part of the job was being on a team that developed a vision.

I remember my pet project was to design the plans for the construction of a bank. I was responsible for designing the layout of the ground. My priority was to outline the appropriate topography. In case you are wondering, topography refers to the arrangement of natural and manmade features of the terrain. This included providing the appropriate design for drainage. Why am I telling you this? Because I sounded like a broken record every time I drove with my family by the bank telling them that I had designed that bank.

Lets just say that the true mark of a civil engineer is the satisfaction of creating a reality based on something that initially was an idea, concept, or drawing.

Now, several years later I'm in Phoenix, but my engineering curiosity will not rest. Something very interesting in this city are the water canals that run through it. So, the question that grew in my mind was where did these waterways originate?

My curiosity grew because as I drove across the city in my Yaris, the times when I didn’t cross over the canal were very rare. It seemed the canal was everywhere! I say "the channel" because I thought it was the same maze of water passing through the city everywhere I drove. Then, one day I couldn’t stand the curiosity and I decided to learn about the Phoenix water system.

But discovering the origin of the canals, led me to something better than an epiphany.

The Phoenix canals originate during the time when the Hohokam occupied the area centuries before the city was founded. It is believed that the Hohokam people were peaceful farmers who began to build canals to provide irrigation to land in order to carry water from the Salt River. The purpose of these canals was to create arable land in the desert. But due to times of drought and severe floods, the Hohokam had to leave the area.

After the Hohokam migrated away from this area, the region was deserted for nearly 400 years. During this era the land would not attract new inhabitants, as it was undesirable land. But in addition to being undesirable for new residents, the land was useless. Precisely because the desert resides here and there was a shortage of water, and the land was barren and futile.

But in the 1860s, the land recovered some appeal when it began to attract a wave of non-Indians who wanted nothing more than to extract gold from these lands. Among the people who settled here, was Jack Swilling, who was a veteran of the American Civil War.

History has it that while he explored the land in 1867, Swilling casually encountered the ruins of what looked like an old canal. And at that moment Swilling's imagination came to life since he thought that the channel could be useful again. Engulfed in this idea of restoring the canal, Swilling recognized the potential of the land for agriculture. Swilling's intention was to transport the water from the Salt River through the canal because this would allow him to cultivate the land. His real motive was to sell the crop to the miners. After several months, the veteran Swilling formed a company that would begin the restoration work of old canals.

As a result, in March 1868, Swilling received payment from the sale of his first crops. And in that same month, a government agency visited the valley and noticed that the few people who inhabited the area referred to it as 'Phoenix.'

Now, after researching the origin of the water canals of Phoenix, I found that the genesis of the city is originates with a true pioneer. Although he was not officially recognized as a civil engineer, I dare say that Jack Swilling embodied the spirit of every engineer that is: creating something from nothing.

It became crystal clear to me that this individual recognized the potential that was hidden in the desert. This man inspired a population to dwell in a place where no one wanted to live. This individual transformed the desert into a populated city. He made this desert a desirable place to live.

And here lies a secret of life: We can make the desert a pleasant and desirable place when we adopted the task of creating sources of water. Just as any engineer would do, it is our task to change the design of our desert. It is worth mentioning that desert refers to seasons of our lives where we experience pain, difficulty, and loneliness.

But just as the city of Phoenix remains a city in the middle of a desert, I recognize that whatever you're going through remains to be a difficult situation. Simply stated there are some things that we can’t change! But I rest my faith and hope in that as engineers can create sources of water in the middle of a desert, you and I can find relief through any difficult situation.

To be continued...

Source: http://www.srpnet.com/water/canals/origins.aspx