Donald Trump is not what you would call a politician. When asked about his positions on various domestic issues, Trump’s usual technique is to spit out a bunch of hackneyed rhetoric and then focus on talking about something else. It’s this blunt style of speaking that often leads to policy proposals like the one the candidate made recently during a press conference in Los Angeles. There, Trump said the way to solve LA’s water crisis was to turn on a “very big faucet” in Oregon. Unfortunately, experts argue that not only does the faucet not exist, but building one would be too expensive and inefficient.
In an apparent attempt to address California’s water shortage, Trump said: “You have millions of gallons of water coming from the north and the snow and Canada, and it’s all pouring in and at a very high price.” faucet. You turn on the faucet and it takes a day to turn it, and it’s as big, as big as the wall of that building right behind you. You answer that, and all that water goes pointlessly into the Pacific (Ocean), and if you put it back, all that water would come down right here in Los Angeles,” he said.
Amidst his rambling, almost poetic ramblings, Trump’s “biggest faucet” seems to be the Columbia River. The Columbia originates from a lake in British Columbia, flows down through Oregon and finally ends in the Pacific Ocean. Trump’s apparent plan is to somehow get the water from the Columbia down to Los Angeles. However, scientists who spoke to the media have noted that not only is there currently no way to divert water from the Oregon River to southern California, but creating such a system could be very expensive and inefficient.
“There’s really no such diversion plan and none that’s seriously proposed that I’m aware of,” said state meteorologist Larry O’Neill, speaking to KOIN. “Without knowing the details of a proper proposal, it is impossible to assess the feasibility or cost and harm such a plan would have on the people and ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest,” said O’Neill. “My initial assessment was that diverting the Columbia River to Southern California would be impractical, inefficient, and expensive. Its potential harmful effects on the environment would be difficult to assess without knowing the extent and location of the diversion.”
Some scientists say Trump’s opinion appears to be borne out of general ignorance about how water systems work. “To me, it’s a naive idea,” Tricia Stadnyk, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Calgary, told Canadian news service CTV. “A person who does not fully understand how water works and who does not understand the complexity of water distribution not only between two countries but also the environment.”
“We’ve certainly seen President Trump on various issues, telling audiences what they want to hear and presenting himself with a lot of unfounded conviction, and this clip seemed like another instance of that. ,” Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, similarly told the Canadian outlet.
It’s true that Los Angeles has a serious water problem (as it is, it’s running out), although trying to steal water from Oregon and Canada and give it to Tinseltown might be one of the less practical solutions. As a short-term pipe dream to float to Californians who don’t know better, however, it just might work. When it comes to the presidential race, Trump is obviously going to lose Oregon, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t mind upsetting a few PNW folks who don’t want to help water the lawns of LA urbanites. That said, this seems like another example of how Trump will say anything—no matter how funny or absurd—to appeal to whatever audience he’s talking to.