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...
No comments:
Post a Comment