Oil and water don't mix... or taste very good

"I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day." - CCR

I don't know that this was supposed to be a sunny day, but it is June, isn't it?

While today's rainy weather casts a dreary shroud over Vancouver, I noticed an update on our provincial neighbor's own water woes; specifically, a looming shortage of the wet stuff (Check the article here).

Alberta is getting rich off its petroleum-laced tar sands, but that treasure is extracted at a price that may not really reflect its market value. Six barrels of water are used to flush a barrel of oil out of the ground. At that rate, it won't be long before the comparisons with Saudi Arabia refer more to Alberta's sand dunes than its black gold.

By the time desertification gets really bad over there, the Canadian sheiks will be able to just buy as much water as they can pipe in from the north. But by then, perhaps fresh sources of water won't be so cheap to come by...

Oil has made a transformation from a lubricant to the actual engine of our national economy. As commodities go, it's about the best thing out there.

The only problem is, people can't drink it.

The incessant pitter-patter on the rooftops I can hear from my window gives me a little reassurance. When the oil crunch finally does come and cities the world over grind to a halt, at least we won't go thirsty in Vancouver.

tags: Vancouver, rain, water, oil, BC, Alberta, desertification