UNMASKING ARIZONA WATER MYTH

UNMASKING - ARIZONA WATER MIRAGE MYTH

Dictionaries on the Internet define mirage as … an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density. And dictionaries on the Internet define myth as … a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon and b : parable, allegory a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially : one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society or an unfounded or false notion or a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence. Throughout the written and recorded history of mankind, the use and creation of myths and mirages have been employed by individuals choosing to exercise control over the lives of others.

American history is replete with examples of these manufactured myths and mirages normally designed in silence, which have been used especially by government and political leaders as “smokescreens” behind which they conduct their often nefarious activities. Utilizing myths and mirages is a useful tool for leaders to manipulate and distort reality in an attempt to achieve the goal of their ambition.

One salient attribute of these manufactured myths and mirages is they are conceived and designed and controlled behind a wall of silence. Silence is a device these leaders utilize to induce and instill fear in its many forms into those they have chosen to control and manipulate. FEAR is nothing more than False Evidence Appears Real.

Locally, our Governor and our elected members of our Legislature foster adherence to the economic mantra of unrestricted growth based on their belief in the infallibility of a never ending water delivery especially from the Colorado River. The current Director of the Arizona Dept of Environmental Quality will have you believe his rules governing residential on-site septic systems provides for you a “safe” environment and contributes to providing to you “safe” drinking water.

In each of these scenarios looking behind the screen, much like in the Wizard of Oz, there is a group of short sighted individuals operating in the dark. Shining light on any of these myths and mirages exposes them for the hoax in reality for which they are.

It is difficult not to be exposed almost daily in some form to the mounting evidence from many scientific and scholarly sources around the world, culminating with the recent release of the motion picture – An Inconvenient Truth – depicting weather changes predicting significant adverse affects upon the availability of clean, safe drinking water for human consumption around the world, including Arizona. Numerous scientific and scholarly sources take exception with the presumed political policy of long term water availability from the Colorado River, in particular, the source to which our State’s leadership ties current and future population growth.

The rules currently in place pursuant to the direction of the Director of ADEQ governing the design, installation and long term operation and maintenance (O&M) for all forms of residential septic systems allows, permits or encourages:

§ The manufacture and installation of “leaking” septic tanks into Arizona ground

§ No compliance, enforcement or long term oversight on the use of any form of residential septic system

§ No “outreach” for education for system designers, system inspectors, providers of O&M, or most importantly USERS of these systems

§ An unwillingness to address the issues surrounding:

o Long term human health affects resulting from exposure to residuals emitted from septic systems which may contain over 75,000 different man-made chemicals

o Long term human health affects resulting from exposure to residuals emitted from septic systems containing pharmaceuticals. In one study residual estrogen in these effluent residuals created serious mutations in fish in the study performed by the University of Arizona.

o Leading medical as well as other authorities of science question the notion that sewage effluent once “treated” either via a septic system or municipal wastewater treatment plant is “safe” to be permitted back into our potable water sources to be “blended” and consumed by an unsuspecting public.

Shinning a light on these few examples of myths and mirages in our contemporary society reveals any change, correction or modification of these myths and mirages can only result from the outside. Left on their own these myths and mirages self perpetuate and are designed to attain allegiance of those caught in its web.

Each of these examples presents us with opportunities to instill change in these prevailing myths and mirages. Respecting the choice of the state’s elected leaders to blindly accept the infallibility of Colorado River to provide adequate water, currently and into the future, we can choose to demand substantiated evidence. When It comes to the plight of Arizona’s residential septic systems we can choose a course which holds everyone’s feet to the fire for the long term goal which honestly provides an aquifer of “safe” drinking water.

In the final analysis the ball is squarely in our court. All lasting and meaningful change can only come from us on the outside. The current builders of our myths and mirages can not and will not change.