Strong statements
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, made some strong statements during a visit to his golf course in the Los Angeles area.
The Canadian province
During his press conference, Trump assured Californians that they would have “more water” than ever, pointing out that the Canadian province of British Columbia had “a very big faucet”.
The water shortage
Trump wants to use water from the Columbia River, located in British Columbia, to alleviate the water shortage in California.
A huge faucet
He compared the river to a huge faucet that, once opened, would provide “more water than you’ve ever seen” to the state.
One day
Trump declared ”And they have essentially a very large faucet. And you turn the faucet and it takes one day to turn it. It’s massive.”
Appeal to voters
However, many people believe that his comments are simply aimed at seducing potential voters, without taking into account the feasibility of such a project or its cost.
An expert disagrees
According to Tricia Stadnyk, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Calgary, interviewed by CTV News, Trump completely misunderstands the distribution of water between countries.
Far from California
She points out that the Columbia River flows from Columbia Lake in British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to the Pacific Ocean, but is still a long way from California, making a simple redirection impossible.
One thing's for sure
One thing’s for sure: redirecting water from Canada to California isn’t limited to turning on a tap in a day, as Donald Trump promises.