02 November 2008

01 November 2008: Low Water Level

Rose Dickson

01 November 2008

1223 – 1230 hours

Bridge over the Mill Stream, near the library on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA

57 degrees, overcast

            Looking out onto the Mill Stream I notice a strange difference. The water level is significantly lower than normal. The plants and rocks inhabiting the stream are now extremely more prominent due to the lack of cover. I begin to wonder what could be the cause of this lower level and I am perplexed as I reflect on the large amounts of rainfall we have had this week. Is the Mill Stream really regulated by society, or is the water lower for another reason? The Mill Stream’s ebbs and flows clearly usually reflect the change in season, but even as we see a clear shift to winter the Mill Stream is low. Why doesn’t this normal principle of the natural world apply to the Mill Stream? Is it because the Mill Stream was created by man? The Mill Stream defies normal expectations because it was created under abnormal circumstances. This should indicate a clear and ever-present fact of the natural world: that man cannot replicate the beauties of nature.

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