Trump wants Canadian water to solve California’s problems

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, made some strong statements while on his golf course in the Los Angeles area, while during his press conference in which he assured Californians that they would have “more water” than ever by pointing out that the Canadian province of British Columbia had “a very large faucet”.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced an idea late last week to help alleviate California water shortages — and it involves British Columbia.

READ MORE: https://t.co/rDbafqwK6E https://t.co/rDbafqwK6E

— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) September 17, 2024

Trump wants to use water from the Columbia River, located in British Columbia, to alleviate the water shortage in California. He compared the river to a huge faucet that, once opened, would provide “more water than you’ve ever seen” to the state.

Trump even declared that it would only take a day. However, many feel that his comments are simply intended to appeal to potential voters, without taking into account the feasibility of such a project or its cost.

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. 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: redirecting water from Canada to California isn’t just a matter of turning on a tap in a day, as Donald Trump promises.