If We Built It Today (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Rise of the Aqueducts - full transcript
Rome's aqueducts are one of the greatest engineering marvels in history, and it took dangerous, cutting-edge construction to build them. Experts use the latest tech and modern-day science to reveal if building them a second time would be just as deadly.
FIRST CENTURY A.D.
ANCIENT ROME,
EUROPE'S SOLE SUPERPOWER.
IT'S GREATEST ENGINEERING
ACHIEVEMENT --
RUNNING WATER.
THE WATER ENGINEERING OF ROME
WAS ONE OF THE GREAT MARVELS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
ROME'S AQUEDUCTS --
ARTIFICIAL RIVERS --
BROUGHT ALMOST
200 MILLION GALLONS A DAY
TO A CITY
WHERE A MILLION CITIZENS
LIVED MORE CLEANLY
THAN ANYONE IN HISTORY.
THEY WERE ABLE TO RIVAL
PUBLIC SANITATION SYSTEMS
OF THE GREAT CITIES TODAY
NEARLY 2,000 YEARS LATER.
THERE WAS WATER EVERYWHERE
AND PLENTY TO DRINK.
BUSTING PIPES
BECAME BEAUTIFUL FOUNTAINS.
TODAY, WATER NEVER SEEMS TO BE
WHERE WE WANT IT,
WHEN WE WANT IT.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT
THE DROUGHT IN COLORADO.
WE'RE NOT IN ROME,
BUT COULD WE DO
AS THE ROMANS DID?
NO ONE CAN DO IT ALONE.
WE DON'T ALWAYS AGREE,
BUT WE ALWAYS WORK IT OUT.
CAN WE BUILD A WATER SYSTEM
TO RIVAL THE GREAT
AQUEDUCTS OF ROME?
TODAY, CLIMATE-CHANGE EXPERTS
ARE WARNING US
ABOUT INCREASING DROUGHT.
THE NEW NORMAL IS ACTUALLY WORSE
THAN WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING
RIGHT NOW.
BUT CAN TODAY'S
ENGINEERS MEASURE UP
TO THE BRILLIANCE
OF THE ANCIENTS?
OFTEN TODAY,
ENGINEERING IS UNSEEN.
IN ANCIENT ROME,
YOU SEE THE STONE,
YOU SEE THE ARCH,
YOU SEE THE AQUEDUCT,
AND YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY SEE
THAT THE ARCHITECTURE
OF INFRASTRUCTURE
IS A CELEBRATION
OF PUBLIC WORKS.
AND IF EVEN IF WE FIND A WAY,
ARE WE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO AFFORD IT?
IT MIGHT BE IN THE REALM
OF $50 BILLION TO $80 BILLION.
WE'RE ON THE JOBSITE OF ONE OF
THE WORLD'S GREATEST WONDERS.
AND WE'RE WONDERING,
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE...
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST...
HOW MANY WORKERS WOULD WE NEED?
COULD WE EVEN DO IT,
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY?
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
LA BELLA ROMA.
WE LOVE IT FOR ITS FOOD
AND ITS MUSIC.
ITS FOUNTAINS ARE
SO MAGNIFICENT,
THEY'VE INSPIRED MOVIES.
BUT IT'S WHAT'S UNDERNEATH THEM
THAT'S EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE.
THAT'S BECAUSE ROUGHLY 80%
OF THIS AMAZING SYSTEM
IS UNDERGROUND.
IN ANCIENT ROME, THERE WERE MORE
THAN A DOZEN AQUEDUCTS IN ALL.
COMBINED, THEY COVERED
MORE THAN 500 MILES.
THEY BROUGHT WATER ALL THE WAY
FROM THE APENNINE MOUNTAINS
INTO THE CITY OF ROME.
THE SYSTEM CARRIED ENOUGH
DRINKABLE WATER
FOR A MILLION HOUSEHOLDS.
AND THE ROMANS DID IT
WITH STYLE.
SOME OF THESE ARCHES WERE BUILT
AS LONG AGO AS 312 B.C.
AND THEY INSTILL PASSION
TO THIS DAY.
ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE BUILT
TO PROVIDE FOR THE CITY OF ROME
WAS SEEN AS A CELEBRATION
OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION.
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
COULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED
HOW MUCH WE
WOULD NEED WATER TODAY.
CLIMATE-CHANGE SCIENTISTS
PREDICT THAT BY 2050,
MORE THAN 5 BILLION PEOPLE
WON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER.
SO WE'RE IMAGINING
OUR VERY OWN AQUEDUCT --
THE BIGGEST WATER-DELIVERY
SYSTEM THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
IT WILL BE ANCIENT INGENUITY
VERSUS 21st CENTURY INNOVATION.
BUT THE ROMANS HAVE A HEADSTART
IN THIS CONTEST.
THEY FIGURED OUT HOW
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF ONE OF
THE EARTH'S ELEMENTAL POWERS.
THE FIRST RULE A WATER
ENGINEER LEARNS
IS THAT WATER FLOWS DOWNHILL.
AND, THEY HELPED DEVELOP
THE BASIC BUILDING MATERIAL
WE'VE COME TO RELY ON.
BUT CAN WE FIGURE OUT
THEIR MAGIC FORMULA?
WHEN THE ROMANS DEVELOPED
CONCRETE USING VOLCANIC ASH,
IT OPENED UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD
OF CONSTRUCTION.
WE DON'T HAVE
EASY ACCESS TO VOLCANIC ASH
LIKE THE ROMANS DID.
AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO
CONSTRUCT A COLOSSAL AQUEDUCT
SYSTEM LIKE THEIRS WITHOUT
CREATING A CRUSHING FOOTPRINT?
THE WATER PROVIDED BATH
COMPLEXES WITH A CONSISTENT FLOW
FOR COLD AND HOT POOLS,
AND WENT ON TO POWER MANY
OTHER SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT ROME.
SO THE ROMANS REUSED THE WATER
IN A VERY CLEVER WAY
AS IT PASSED THROUGH THE CITY
OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
TODAY, WE'RE ALL
ABOUT RECYCLING.
BUT WE'VE GOT SOME COSTS
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.
UNLIKE THEM, WE LIKE
TO PAY OUR WORKERS.
PLUS, WHEN THEY NEEDED LAND,
THEY JUST TOOK IT BY FORCE.
WE RELY ON A WATERSHED
TO PROVIDE A SOURCE
OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER.
TODAY, THAT WATERSHED COULD
LIE OUTSIDE OF THE GEOGRAPHY
OF A CITY,
WHICH MAKES WATER
HIGHLY CONTESTED POLITICALLY.
WHY DID THE ANCIENT ROMANS
GO TO ALL THIS TROUBLE
WHEN THE TIBER RIVER
RUNS RIGHT THROUGH ROME?
WELL, YOU WOULDN'T WANT
TO DRINK THIS WATER.
AFTER EVERY WAR --
AND THE ROMANS HAD SO MANY WARS
WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS
IN THEIR EARLY YEARS --
YOU HAD SOME DEAD BODIES
SHIFTING THERE
IN THE THE TIBER RIVER.
LUCKILY FOR THIS WARRING NATION,
THERE WAS ANOTHER OPTION.
THE ROMANS DISCOVERED WATER IN
THE FAMOUS SEVEN HILLS OF ROME,
AND THEY TESTED IT TO BE SURE
IT WAS UNCONTAMINATED.
ONCE THEY KNEW THE WATER
WAS SAFE TO DRINK,
THE ROMANS DEVELOPED
A GENIUS PLAN
TO SHARE IT WITH THEIR PEOPLE.
YOU BRING HIGH VOLUMES,
GREAT VOLUMES OF WATER
OVER LONG DISTANCES
WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICAL POWER.
YOU JUST USE NATURAL GRAVITY.
THE ROMANS BUILT WATERWAYS
ON A PRECISE SLANT
TO DELIVER ONE OF THE BASICS
OF LIFE FREE OF CHARGE
TO THE CITY'S HOMES,
FOUNTAINS, MILLS,
AND THEIR PUBLIC THERMAL BATHS.
THE ROMANS ALSO DREW ON
THE ANCIENT PRINCIPLE
OF CREATING A SIPHON
TO MAKE WATER GO UPHILL.
WHILE THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF FLUID MECHANICS
WAS NOT AS ADVANCED AS TODAY,
ROMAN ENGINEERS KNEW
HOW TO REGULATE THE FLOW
AND THE SPEED OF WATER
SO THAT IT COULD EVEN GO UPHILL
SLIGHTLY, IF NECESSARY.
THE USE OF AN INVERTED SIPHON
ALLOWED THE ROMANS
TO GET WATER UNDER OBSTACLES.
GRAVITY PULLS THE WATER DOWN,
AND THEN THE INCREASING
WEIGHT OF THE WATER
CREATES ENOUGH PRESSURE
TO PUSH IT UP
TO EXACTLY THE SAME LEVEL
ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE.
AND WE'RE STILL USING
INVERTED SIPHONS TODAY
ON MODERN AQUEDUCTS.
SO WE'VE GOT TO DEVISE
AN ENORMOUS SYSTEM
THAT'S EFFICIENT,
NATURE-FRIENDLY,
AND WON'T BREAK THE BANK.
AND WITH WATER SUPPLIES REACHING
NEW LOWS ACROSS THE GLOBE,
WE'LL NEED TO WORK HARDER
AND SMARTER THAN THE ROMANS
IN ORDER TO GET OUR MODERN-DAY
MEGA-AQUEDUCT UP AND RUNNING.
AFTER 2,000 YEARS,
TOURISTS STILL FLOCK
TO THE FAMOUS FOUNTAINS OF ROME.
THEY'RE MORE THAN A REMNANT
OF ANCIENT TIMES.
THEY'RE PART OF ONE OF
THE MOST INNOVATIVE
AND EFFICIENT
WATER SYSTEMS IN HISTORY.
WE'RE IMAGINING
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO CREATE
AN EVEN BETTER SYSTEM TODAY.
AND, AS IT TURNS OUT, WE MAY
NEED IT SOONER THAN WE THINK.
MANY CLIMATE SCIENTISTS
SPECULATE THAT,
THE NEW NORMAL
IS ACTUALLY WORSE
THAN WHAT
WE'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.
FOR THAT SAME REASON,
THIS IMPRESSIVE AQUEDUCT SYSTEM
WAS BUILT BACK IN THE 1970s
TO BRING WATER
TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT MOST.
THIS IS CENTRAL ARIZONA,
ONE OF THE DRIEST PLACES
IN NORTH AMERICA.
WE'RE NOT CLOSE TO AN OCEAN
AT ALL.
WE HAVE, SOME AREAS WHERE
THERE'S PRECIPITATION
AND EVEN, SOME SMALL LAKES.
BUT THEY'RE FAR AWAY, GENERALLY,
FROM WHERE THE POPULATION LIVES.
ARIZONA'S POPULATION IS OVER
7 MILLION AND RISING.
THIS IS THE PERFECT PLACE
FOR OUR CASE STUDY.
WE WANT TO BUILD AN AQUEDUCT
OF OUR OWN
TO BRING CLEAN WATER
TO MILLIONS.
BUT WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BUILD
OUR NEW MEGA-SYSTEM?
HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BUILD IT
OUT OF?
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE US?
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE NEED?
AND, CAN WE PULL IT OFF
WITHOUT DROWNING IN DEBT?
LET'S LOOK FOR A LOCATION FIRST.
IT TURNS OUT, EVEN WITH
AN EXISTING AQUEDUCT IN PLACE,
ARIZONANS ARE STILL THIRSTY.
WE ARE IN A DROUGHT
THAT HAS LASTED 18 YEARS SO FAR.
MAYBE THERE'S A WAY
TO USE MODERN MACHINES
AND ANCIENT METHODS TO BRING
EVEN MORE WATER
TO THIS PARCHED STATE.
80% OF ARIZONA'S POPULATION
GETS THEIR WATER
FROM THE MASSIVE COLORADO
RIVER 336 MILES AWAY.
ARIZONA IS AN ARID ENVIRONMENT,
AND SO WE DON'T SUPPLY
ENOUGH NATURAL WATER
IN OUR AREA TO SUPPLY US.
WE'VE, HAD A TENDENCY
TO UTILIZE GROUNDWATER,
BUT THAT'S A LIMITED RESOURCE.
SO USING SOMETHING LIKE
THE COLORADO RIVER WATER
AND BRINGING WATER INTO
OUR ARIZONA CENTRAL AREA,
IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST ARIZONA
THAT RELIES ON THIS WATER.
SEVEN DIFFERENT STATES
TAP INTO THE COLORADO RIVER.
AND AFTER NEARLY
TWO DECADES OF DROUGHT,
THIS WELL IS RUNNING DRY.
SO WE'RE SETTING OUR SIGHTS
ON ANOTHER MIGHTY
AMERICAN RIVER --
THE MISSISSIPPI.
WE'LL NEED TO BUILD
ABOUT 1,500 MILES OF AQUEDUCT
TO CONNECT THE MISSISSIPPI
AND COLORADO RIVERS.
BUT HOW ARE WE GOING
TO DO THAT?
IN ROME, THE ANCIENT ENGINEERS
KEPT IT SIMPLE --
SIMPLE, BUT PRECISE.
ROMAN BUILDERS WERE ABLE
TO SURVEY OVER GREAT DISTANCES
TO PROVIDE NEARLY
A STRAIGHT LINE
AND NEARLY A CONSTANT SLOPE
OVER LONG DISTANCES.
THE SURVEYING REQUIRED
FOR THE AQUEDUCTS
IS ONE OF THE MARVELS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
MODERN MAN IS CONTINUALLY
SURPRISED BY THE PRECISION
WHICH THOSE THINGS WERE BUILT,
JUST USING RUDIMENTARY THINGS
LIKE SEXTONS.
IT BOGGLES EVEN MY MIND
HOW EXACT THOSE THINGS ARE,
NOT HAVING THE TOOLS
THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE
TODAY LIKE GPS AND LASER
SIGHTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND IF THEY NEEDED
ANOTHER AQUEDUCT,
THEY JUST BUILT IT ON TOP.
BACK HERE IN AMERICA,
WHEN THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
WAS IN ITS PLANNING PHASE,
NO DETAIL WAS OVERLOOKED.
THEY WERE DOING
VERY EARLY SIGHTING STUDIES
FOR THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT,
TRIED TO PICK A PATH
THAT BALANCED EARTHWORK,
BALANCED THE COST OF GOING
THROUGH MOUNTAINS OR OVER THEM,
AND THEY UTILIZED
SOME VERY BASIC SURVEY TOOLS.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO GO
THROUGH A MOUNTAIN,
THEY HAD TO GET CREATIVE.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF AREAS
WHERE WE HAD TO BUILD A TUNNEL
DIRECTLY THROUGH A MOUNTAINSIDE.
IT WAS BUILT WITH
A TUNNEL-BORING MACHINE
THAT AT THAT TIME WAS A --
WAS A VERY, YOU KNOW,
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF THINGS.
THE TUNNEL-BORING
MACHINE WAS INVENTED
BY A FRENCH ENGINEER
IN THE 1700s.
A MASSIVE WHEEL FITTED WITH
MULTIPLE BLADES
GRINDS ITS WAY
THROUGH THE TOUGHEST ROCK
WITHOUT DISTURBING
THE LAYERS OVERHEAD.
IT'S THE SAME TECHNOLOGY THAT'S
OFTEN USED TO BUILD SUBWAYS.
WHEN THERE WASN'T A MOUNTAIN
IN THE WAY,
THERE WAS A RIVER.
MANY TIMES, THE ROMANS
CHOSE TO GO OVER,
UTILIZING A SERIES OF VIADUCTS.
BUT FOR MOST OF
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT,
WHEN WE CROSSED WE CHOSE TO USE
WHAT'S CALLED
AN INVERTED SIPHON.
WE WERE ACTUALLY PULLING WATER,
IN SOME WAYS,
FROM THE EXISTING CANAL SYSTEM
DOWN UNDERNEATH A RIVER,
AND POP UP ON THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT,
ONE OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES
FACED BY AMERICAN ENGINEERS
WAS HOW TO MAINTAIN
THE FLOW OF WATER --
SOMETHING THE ROMANS DID BY
TILTING THEIR WATERWAY
EVER SO SLIGHTLY.
YOU HAD A CONTINUOUS
FLOW OF WATER.
THIS WAS NEVER STAGNANT WATER.
IT WAS RUNNING DAY AND NIGHT.
IN ARIZONA,
IT TOOK 14 PUMPING STATIONS
TO KEEP THIS SYSTEM GOING.
SO THE MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE
THAT WE HAVE IN MODERN TIMES
AS COMPARED TO THE ROMANS IS,
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO LIFT
WATER FROM THE LOWER LOCATION
ACTUALLY TO A HIGHER LOCATION.
AND THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF THAT,
AS THE WATER WE LIFT STARTS
IN A LOCATION
THAT'S LOWER THAN ALL OF
OUR MAJOR CITIES.
THIS PROCESS MAKES CENTRAL
ARIZONA PROJECT, OR C.A.P.,
THE LARGEST ELECTRICAL-POWER
USER IN THE STATE.
BUT, THEY CAME UP WITH A WAY
TO AFFORD IT.
SO, WHAT THE CENTRAL ARIZONA
PROJECT HAS IS A UNIQUE FEATURE,
WHICH IS A SINGLE PLANT THAT IS
A PUMP AND GENERATION STATION,
WHICH ALLOWS US TO TAKE WATER
AND PUMP
DURING PERIODS OF LOW-POWER COST
AND LOW-WATER USE
TO FILL UP A RESERVOIR OR LAKE,
AND THEN IN PERIODS
OF HIGH-POWER COST
AND HIGH-WATER USE,
ALLOW US TO MAKE RELEASES
AND GENERATE ELECTRICITY
AND SELL THAT BACK ON THE GRID.
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
REALLY
IS A MARVEL OF ENGINEERING.
IF YOU CAN THINK OF
AN ACRE OF LAND
WITH 1.6 MILLION FEET DEEP
OF WATER ON IT,
THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF WATER
MOVED EVERY YEAR
OFF THE COLORADO RIVER.
TO TRACK THE CONSTANT
FLOW OF ALL THAT WATER,
THE C.A.P. RELIES ON THE
HARD-WORKING EMPLOYEES
IN THEIR CONTROL CENTER.
IF I'M A CITY OR A FARMER OR AN
IRRIGATION DISTRICT OR A TRIBE,
AND I WANT TO GET WATER FROM
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT,
IT STARTS WITH, ESSENTIALLY,
A WATER ORDER OR A PHONE CALL.
AND THAT PHONE CALL COMES INTO
THE CONTROL CENTER
THAT WE'RE IN HERE TODAY.
THEY CONSTITUTE A NUMBER
OF WATER ORDERS
THAT COME INTO
OUR LEAD DISPATCHER.
HE TAKES THOSE AND TURNS
THOSE INTO CUSTOMER REQUESTS.
HE USES THE COMPUTER TO TAKE
THOSE FLOWS AND CREATE,
ESSENTIALLY, A FLOW SCHEDULE
THROUGHOUT THE C.A.P. SYSTEM.
THE ROMANS DID SPOT TESTS
ALONG THEIR SYSTEM
TO MAKE SURE
EVERYTHING WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
IN ARIZONA, IT'S DONE REMOTELY
WITH THE HELP
OF FIBER-OPTIC TECHNOLOGY.
SO, BECAUSE CONTROLLING ALL OF
THOSE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT
REQUIRES A LOT OF DATA,
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
INSTALLED
A FIBER-OPTIC CABLE ALONG
THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CANAL.
WITH THAT, WE'RE ABLE TO MONITOR
THOUSANDS OF WHAT WE CALL
DATA POINTS
ON A NEAR CONTINUOUS BASIS,
JUST TO ALLOW US TO SEE FROM
OUR CENTRALIZED CONTROL CENTER
EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
FIELD AT EVERY PUMPING PLANT,
AT EVERY TURNOUT WHERE WE MAKE
DELIVERIES TO OUR CUSTOMERS,
AND AT EVERY CHECK GATE WHERE
WE CONTROL THE FLOW OF WATER.
WE'LL REAP THE BENEFITS
OF THIS MODERN-DAY TECHNOLOGY
WHEN WE PLAN
OUR NEW WATER SYSTEM.
BUT IT CAN'T HURT TO TAKE
A FEW TIPS FROM THE TRIED
AND TRUE ROMAN
BUILDING TECHNIQUES
THAT HELPED SHAPE
THE ANCIENT AQUEDUCTS.
WE WANT TO RECREATE A SYSTEM
LIKE THE RENOWNED ROMAN
AQUEDUCTS, ONLY LONGER --
LONG ENOUGH
TO BRING A LOT OF WATER
TO A VERY DRY REGION
OF OUR PLANET.
AND WE'VE GOT TO ENSURE THAT
THE WATER STAYS CLEAN ENOUGH
FOR PEOPLE TO DRINK.
2,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ROMANS DID THIS
BY KEEPING
THEIR AQUEDUCTS COVERED.
THE ROMANS SLOWED DOWN THE WATER
AT SEVERAL PLACES
ALONG THE AQUEDUCT
TO ALLOW IMPURITIES TO SETTLE.
BUT ALTHOUGH IT WAS SLOW,
THE WATER WAS ALWAYS MOVING.
GOT IT.
SO JUST KEEP IT MOVING,
AND KEEP IT UNDERGROUND.
BUT AS IT TURNS OUT,
THAT KIND OF COVER-UP COSTS.
IT QUADRUPLES THE BASE PRICE.
SO C.A.P. OPTED FOR
A MAINTENANCE CREW
AND A FEW RULES FOR THE PUBLIC.
THEY CAN'T GO IN THE WATER.
THEY CAN'T COME
INSIDE THE FENCE.
IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS,
MANMADE RIVER.
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A SYSTEM
THAT'S AS EFFICIENT
AS THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
BUT MUCH LONGER.
AND WE STILL NEED TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE TO BUILD IT,
AND WE MAY WANT TO AVOID
ANY BORDER CROSSING.
THE POLITICS OF WATER TODAY
ARE MUCH MORE COMPLICATED.
WHEN THE SUPPLY OF THE WATER
EXISTS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
BUT A CITY OF MILLIONS
IS ACROSS THE BORDER,
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT
BOTH COUNTRIES ARE PROVIDED FOR?
THESE ARE OPEN,
DIFFICULT POLITICAL QUESTIONS.
BUT IN ANCIENT ROME,
IT WAS SIMPLER
BECAUSE OF THE EXTENT OF THE
CONQUESTS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
POLITICS AREN'T THE
ONLY THING THAT HAVE CHANGED
SINCE THE ANCIENT ROMANS
BUILT THEIR FIRST AQUEDUCTS.
TODAY, WE ALSO HAVE ACCESS
TO DIFFERENT BUILDING MATERIALS
TO WORK WITH.
THE ROMANS' ELEGANTLY-DESIGNED
SYSTEM HAS BEEN AROUND
SINCE THE DAYS OF JULIUS CAESAR,
AND MUCH OF IT
HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS
WE CAN LEARN
FROM TRADITIONAL
ROMAN CONSTRUCTION.
ROMANS BUILT TO LAST.
ROMANS LOOKED FOR
DURABLE MATERIALS.
SO WHAT WOULD WE USE TODAY?
THE ROMANS GOT A LOT DONE
WITH BUCKETS, SHOVELS,
AND RUDIMENTARY CRANES.
THEY EVEN CAME UP WITH
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR
BUILDING MATERIALS OF ALL TIME.
THE ROMANS ARE GENERALLY
CREDITED FOR INVENTING CONCRETE.
THIS IS SOMETHING
VERY VALUABLE FOR US.
AND WITH ALL OF THE MODERN
INVENTIONS THAT WE HAVE --
EVEN THOSE THAT HAVE COME
INTO PLAY SINCE THE C.A.P.
WAS BUILT, LIKE LASERS
AND COMPUTERS AND GPS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT --
WITHOUT CONCRETE,
IT WOULD BE PRETTY DIFFICULT
TO DO WHAT WE DID HERE.
THE ROMANS DEVELOPED CONCRETE
USING VOLCANIC ASH
FROM NEAR MOUNT VESUVIUS.
THEY DISCOVERED THAT
A PARTICULAR ASH WAS REACTIVE,
MEANING THAT IF IT WERE GROUND
INTO DUST AND MIXED WITH WATER,
IT WOULD SET HARD AND BECOME
ESSENTIALLY A LIQUID STONE.
ROMAN CONCRETE IS QUITE
DIFFERENT FROM TODAY'S CONCRETE
BECAUSE THE AGGREGATE,
OR STONES,
THAT ARE COMBINED
WITH THE ASH MIXTURE,
ARE MUCH LARGER
IN ROMAN CONCRETE,
WHEREAS IN TODAY'S CONCRETE,
WE'RE ONLY COMMONLY USING
VERY SMALL PIECES OF GRAVEL.
SO WHAT DID THEY USE
IN ARIZONA FOR A DITCH
THAT WAS MORE THAN 23 FEET DEEP
AND CLOSE TO 310 MILES LONG?
TURNS OUT, IT WAS A BIT
OF A BUDGET MIX.
THEY RECOGNIZED THAT
THE MOST EXPENSIVE COMPONENT
OF THE CONCRETE
WAS THE CEMENT.
SO THEY SPECIFIED MIXES
THAT WOULD REDUCE
THE AMOUNT OF CEMENT.
SEEMS LIKE WE MIGHT SEE A BIG
MAINTENANCE BILL DOWN THE ROAD.
CONCRETE WILL ALWAYS CRACK.
WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS PLACES WHERE
WE'VE REPAIRED THE AQUEDUCT
OVER THE COURSE OF YEARS BECAUSE
OF POOR-QUALITY MATERIALS.
WE MAY NOT HAVE A LOT
OF VOLCANIC ASH LYING AROUND,
BUT WE'VE GOT SOME
PRETTY NIFTY TECHNOLOGY
FOR OUR MODERN AQUEDUCT.
STILL, IT SEEMS LIKE
WE'RE JUST KEEPING OUR HEAD
ABOVE WATER HERE.
IT'S EASY TO REPAIR
THE CONCRETE.
BUT IT'S NOT NEARLY AS EASY
TO UNDERSTAND, ANTICIPATE,
AND BE ABLE TO REPAIR
A LOT OF THE EQUIPMENT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT.
SO WE'LL BUILD
OUR MODERN-DAY AQUEDUCT
WITH TUNNEL-BORING MACHINES,
MASSIVE PUMPING PLANTS,
AND LOTS AND LOTS OF CONCRETE.
BUT, COULD WE BE HEADED
FOR TROUBLED WATER?
WE'RE IMAGINING HOW WE COULD
BUILD A MODERN-DAY SYSTEM
TO RIVAL THE CELEBRATED
ROMAN AQUEDUCTS.
WE'VE BEEN TAKING
AN UP-CLOSE LOOK
AT THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT.
AND AS IT TURNS OUT,
WE'RE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE
WHO'VE BEEN DOING THAT.
THERE DEFINITELY ARE PLACES
IN THE WORLD
WHERE PROJECTS OF EVEN
LARGER SCALE THAN THIS
ARE PROBABLY APPROPRIATE.
WE'VE HAD LOTS OF VISITORS
FROM EASTERN AND CENTRAL ASIA,
WHERE THERE ARE SIMILAR
TYPES OF SITUATIONS --
ARID REGIONS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE
AND NEED WATER --
IN AFRICA AND IN SOUTH AMERICA,
AS WELL.
AND WE HAVE BY NOW
TWO-AND-A-HALF DECADES
OF LESSONS LEARNED
OF RUNNING THIS PROJECT.
WE FIGURE WE'LL CREATE
OUR BIGGER, BETTER SYSTEM
BY RELYING ON ROMAN EXPERTISE
AND SOME INNOVATIVE
AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY.
WE'LL CONSTRUCT IT
WITH CONCRETE,
EVEN IF WE CAN'T DUPLICATE
ALL THE ANCIENT INGREDIENTS.
BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD WE
NEED TO BUILD OUR SYSTEM?
2,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ROMANS DIDN'T NEED
TO HIRE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
TO BUILD THEIR SYSTEM
OF AQUEDUCTS.
TRAGICALLY, ROMANS WERE
OFTEN USING SLAVE LABOR
AS A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY
TO BUILD SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE INCONCEIVABLY
EXPENSIVE TODAY.
WE WILL DEFINITELY
BE PAYING OUR WORKERS,
AND WE'LL NEED A LOT OF THEM.
WE ESTIMATE THAT IT MIGHT
TAKE 1,000 PEOPLE
TO DO THE FULL CONSTRUCTION.
AND WE FIGURE WE'LL
BRING IN THE SPECIALISTS
WHO HELPED DESIGN THE SYSTEM
IN CENTRAL ARIZONA.
IT TOOK A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
TYPE OF ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
TOGETHER TO BUILD IT --
CIVIL ENGINEERS,
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS,
AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS.
AND ALL OF THOSE DISCIPLINES
ARE DEVELOPED
THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE BASE
THAT'S ACQUIRED
OVER MANY YEARS OF STUDY.
AND SOME OF THOSE DATE
ALL THE WAY BACK TO EARLY TIMES.
NOW THAT WE KNOW
THE WHERE AND THE HOW
AND THE WHO OF A MODERN TAKE
ON OUR AQUEDUCT PROJECT,
THE NEXT BIG QUESTION IS,
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
IT TURNS OUT THE ROMANS
HAD A BIG ADVANTAGE
WHEN IT CAME TO TIME, TOO.
FAST FORWARD 2,000 YEARS,
AND THE POLITICS IS
A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED.
IT TOOK MORE THAN 40 YEARS
JUST TO GET THROUGH THE LEGAL
AND POLITICAL COMPLICATIONS
OF ACQUIRING THE LAND
FOR THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT.
THERE WERE LAWSUITS.
THERE WERE LEGAL CHALLENGES.
THERE WAS A SUPREME COURT CASE.
WATER RESOURCES
CROSS NATIONAL BOUNDARIES TODAY.
IN ANCIENT ROME, THE ROMAN
EMPIRE STRETCHED SO FAR
THAT ROMAN BUILDERS COULD DRAW
UPON A WATER SUPPLY
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
TO PROVIDE CONSISTENT WATER
FOR THE CITY OF ROME.
ONCE WE HAVE
ALL THE APPROVALS WE NEED,
HOW LONG WILL
THE CONSTRUCTION TAKE?
TO BUILD A SYSTEM BRINGING WATER
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
INTO THE COLORADO RIVER,
WE ESTIMATE,
ON ROUGH ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE,
THAT IT MIGHT TAKE
APPROXIMATELY 20 YEARS
TO DO THE FULL CONSTRUCTION.
WE KNOW WE COULD BUILD AN
AQUEDUCT SYSTEM TO BRING WATER
FROM ONE GREAT AMERICAN RIVER
TO ANOTHER
USING A COMBINATION
OF CUTTING-EDGE PUMPING
AND MONITORING TECHNOLOGY
AND GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED GRAVITY.
WE WOULD NEED 1,000
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.
AND IF THE CENTRAL ARIZONA
PROJECT IS ANY INDICATION,
IT WOULD TAKE 5 TO 10 TIMES
AS LONG TO BUILD
AN AQUEDUCT SYSTEM TODAY
AS IN ANCIENT TIMES.
WE'RE TALKING 20 YEARS
FOR THE CONSTRUCTION ALONE,
WHICH LEAVES US TREADING WATER
AS WE FACE
THE TOUGHEST QUESTION OF ALL --
WHAT'S IT ALL GOING TO COST?
THE WATER SYSTEM OF ANCIENT ROME
IS STILL REVERED BY ENGINEERS
2,000 YEARS AFTER IT
WAS FIRST CONSTRUCTED.
A RECENTLY DISCOVERED PORTION
OF THE AQUEDUCTS
IS EVEN PART OF
A SOUND-AND-LIGHT SHOW
IN THIS NEW SHOPPING MALL
IN ROME.
OUR MISSION IS TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO BUILD
AN EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE
WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM
IN AMERICA TODAY.
WE WANT TO BUILD ALL THE WAY
FROM THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI
TO THE MIGHTY COLORADO
IN ORDER TO BRING CLEAN WATER
TO THE PARCHED STATE OF ARIZONA.
WE INTEND TO USE CONCRETE,
ELECTRICAL POWER,
AND THE LATEST DIGITAL
AND FIBER-OPTIC TECHNOLOGY.
AND WE'RE RELYING ON THE BRAWN
AND BRAINS
OF THOUSANDS
OF AMERICAN WORKERS.
BUT ARE WE ABOUT TO BE
SWEPT AWAY IN A FLOOD OF DEBT?
IF THERE'S ONE THINGS
THE ROMANS WERE BETTER
AT THAN BUILDING SMART,
IT WAS SPENDING SMART.
JUST NEAR HERE, TRAJAN'S
AQUEDUCT TRAVELED UNDERGROUND,
AND THERE WAS A ROMAN GRAIN MILL
JUST IN FRONT OF ME
THAT WAS POWERED BY THE WATER
TO GRIND THE GRAIN TO FEED ROME.
ONCE THE WATER POWERED
THE WHEELS,
IT COULD THEN DESCEND
INTO THE CENTER OF ROME
WHERE IT PROVIDED
NOT ONLY PUBLIC FOUNTAINS,
WHICH DISPLAYED A DOMINION
OVER WATER,
THE WATER WAS ALSO USED
TO FLUSH TOILETS.
THE WATER WAS NOT WASTED.
IN THE TIME OF THE EMPERORS,
GETTING MONEY WAS AS EASY
AS TURNING ON A TAP.
BUT HOW MUCH DID THE CENTRAL
ARIZONA PROJECT COST?
IT WAS ROUGHLY $4 BILLION
OVER THAT 20-YEAR PERIOD
FROM 1973 TO 1993.
ABOUT HALF OF THAT MONEY WAS FOR
THINGS LIKE PURCHASING LAND,
ISSUING PERMITS,
WHAT WE'LL CALL SOFT COSTS.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE REPEATED
IF ONE WAS REPLACING THE CANAL
THAT'S IN THE GROUND TODAY.
AND THERE'S ONE MORE BUDGET ITEM
WE HAVEN'T EVEN INCLUDED YET.
IN 20 YEARS, WE PROBABLY HAVE
SPENT EASILY
DOUBLE THE COST OF THE CANAL
TO BUILD IT
IN MAINTAINING IT SINCE THEN,
AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO LAST
FOR ANOTHER 100 YEARS.
OKAY, LET'S DO THE MATH.
THE ORIGINAL COST OF $4 BILLION
PLUS FOUR TIMES THE ORIGINAL
COST IN MAINTENANCE --
THAT'S $16 BILLION.
PLUS FIVE TIMES
THOSE MAINTENANCE
COSTS OVER THE NEXT CENTURY.
THAT'S ANOTHER $84 BILLION
FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF...
$104 BILLION
OVER THE PLANNED LIFETIME
OF THIS MODERN AQUEDUCT SYSTEM.
BUT BEFORE YOU WRAP YOUR MIND
AROUND THE COLOSSAL COSTS
OF BUILDING
AN EVEN BIGGER SYSTEM,
YOU NEED TO MEET SOMEONE WHO
MIGHT PROVIDE SOME PERSPECTIVE.
MY NAME IS DAN THELANDER.
I'M AN ARIZONA FARMER HERE
IN THE MARICOPA-STANFIELD AREA.
C.A.P. STARTED DELIVERING WATER
HERE IN ABOUT 1985,
AND PRIOR TO THAT,
IT WAS ALL GROUNDWATER,
AND THE GROUNDWATER WAS BEING
DEPLETED AT A PRETTY RAPID RATE,
SO THERE WERE A LOT OF FARMS
THAT WERE BEING FALLOWED
BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF WATER.
SO THE C.A.P. COMING IN HERE
REALLY WAS THE SALVATION
FOR THIS AREA.
THELANDER AND
HIS FAMILY GROW COTTON
AND WHEAT PLUS ALFALFA
AND CORN FOR DAIRY CATTLE.
ME AND MY NEPHEW AND
MY SON FARM ABOUT 5,000 ACRES.
WE HAVE 15 EMPLOYEES, AND SO
THAT'S WHAT KEEPS US ALL GOING.
BUT IT'S NOT EASY IN A REGION
THAT GETS LESS THAN
EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN A YEAR.
TOO MANY TIMES PEOPLE
THINK THAT THEIR FOOD
COMES FROM THE GROCERY STORE.
FOOD STARTS AT THE FARM LEVEL,
AND YOU CAN'T ALWAYS
REPLACE FOOD FROM ONE AREA
BY IMPORTING IT FROM ANOTHER.
AND THE DROUGHT IN THIS AREA
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE.
WE'RE PRETTY MUCH
GROWING SOMETHING YEAR-ROUND.
THIS WATER COMING IN ALLOWS US
TO FARM ALL OF OUR ACREAGE,
SO WE'VE HAD A GOOD,
PLENTIFUL SUPPLY OF WATER.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT
THE DROUGHT IN COLORADO.
WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
AND THIS ISN'T THE
ONLY PLACE HEADED FOR DISASTER.
WITH ALL THE SUCCESSES
THAT WE'VE HAD,
THEY HAVE NOT UNDONE
THE REALITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
AND A HOTTER, DRYER FUTURE.
BY 2025, 2/3 OF
THE PEOPLE ON THE PLANET
WON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER.
THIS IS A PROBLEM
EVEN TOO BIG FOR AN EMPEROR.
BUT THERE'S A HUGE OCEAN
OUT THERE THAT CAN BE TAPPED.
IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE
THAN THE SOURCE OF WATER
THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW,
BUT AT SOME POINT,
THE ECONOMY AND THE MARKET
WILL STRAIGHTEN THAT OUT.
WE WANT TO DO OUR PART TO HELP
SOLVE THE IMPENDING WATER CRISIS
BY CONSTRUCTING
A MODERN-DAY WATER SYSTEM.
BUT CAN WE PULL TOGETHER
THE RESOURCES
AND FUNDING WE'LL NEED
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE?
THE ROMANS HAVE BUILT
SOME OF THE MOST ENDURING
AND AESTHETICALLY PLEASING
ARCHITECTURE IN THE WORLD.
THE INGENUOUS THINKING THAT
WENT INTO THE ROMAN AQUEDUCTS
WAS FAR AHEAD OF ITS TIME.
BUT IN AMERICA,
WE KNOW HOW TO BUILD BIG.
SO WE'RE IMAGINING THE BIGGEST
AQUEDUCT EVER MADE...
BIGGER THAN THE
CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT.
WE'RE PLANNING TO TRANSPORT
BILLIONS OF LITERS OF WATER
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
TO THE COLORADO RIVER.
THAT'S OVER 1,500 MILES,
FIVE TIMES AS LONG
AS THE AQUEDUCT SYSTEM
THAT EXTENDED ACROSS
THE ENTIRE ROMAN EMPIRE.
OKAY, LET'S DO IT.
IF WE WERE TO BUILD AN AQUEDUCT
LIKE THE C.A.P.,
BUT LONGER TO BE ABLE TO REACH
INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,
WHAT WE WOULD DO TODAY
WOULD BE, FIRST,
PLOT A COURSE FROM A MAP.
AND WE'LL LOOK AT TRYING TO FIND
AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT PATH
THAT WOULD MINIMIZE
THE AMOUNT OF EXCAVATION,
MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF TUNNELS
GOING THROUGH MOUNTAINS
AND TRY TO MINIMIZE
THE NUMBER OF TIMES
THAT THE CANAL WOULD HAVE
TO GO UP AND DOWN.
THAT'S THE WAY
THEY DID IN ROME.
THEY WORKED WITH,
NOT AGAINST, NATURE.
NEXT, WE NEED TO BUY RIGHTS
FOR THE LAND WE'LL BE USING,
AND LET'S NOT FORGET --
WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER
OUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS
WHO CALL THE LAND HOME.
IN SOME LANDS, WE MIGHT BE
DISTURBING SENSITIVE LAND
AND HAVE TO DO ENVIRONMENTAL
SET-ASIDES OR OTHER THINGS
THAT MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAMPER
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
OR MIGRATION PATHS OF ANIMALS.
WE'LL FOLLOW C.A.P.'S
LEAD AND BUILD OUR CANALS
SO THAT WILDLIFE WOULD HAVE
A SPECIAL RIGHT OF WAY.
AS A MATTER OF FACT,
IT'S CAMOUFLAGED
SO THAT THEY CAN'T TELL THAT
THEY'RE WALKING ABOVE THE WATER
BECAUSE, OTHERWISE,
THEY MAY BE FRIGHTENED.
THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE
THE PHYSICAL
CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANAL,
SO ACTUAL EXCAVATION
OF THE CANAL,
LINING THE CANAL WITH CONCRETE,
AND THEN, NEXT, WE'LL BE
BUILDING THE PUMPING PLANTS.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.
WE'RE GOING TO CROWN
OUR WATER SYSTEM
WITH A FOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE
OF THIS DESERT CITY,
SO FANTASTIC, IT WILL PUT
THE FOUNTAINS IN VEGAS TO SHAME.
WE DID IT!
WE BUILT A WATERWAY
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ALL THE WAY TO THE COLORADO.
WE BUILT IT OUT OF CONCRETE,
MOVING AROUND NATURAL OBSTACLES,
AND PROVIDING AN ALTERNATE
ROUTE FOR WILDLIFE.
WE INCLUDED THE LATEST
IN HYDRAULIC, DIGITAL,
AND FIBER-OPTIC TECHNOLOGY.
IT TOOK A THOUSAND WORKERS,
USING SOME OF THE MIGHTIEST
MACHINES ON EARTH,
AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
ALL THE RED TAPE.
IT TOOK US 20 YEARS.
SO NOW, BRACE YOURSELF
FOR A TIDAL WAVE OF COSTS.
IT MIGHT BE IN THE REALM OF
$50 BILLION TO $80 BILLION
TO CONSTRUCT.
AND THAT DOESN'T
INCLUDE MAINTENANCE COSTS
AND THE ONGOING COST
OF FINDING ENOUGH POWER
TO KEEP THE WATER FLOWING.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY
TO LIFT THE WATER
THROUGH THE PUMPING PLANTS
AND THEN PUT IT IN THE CANAL,
SO WE'D HAVE TO LOOK
AT THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION
INFRASTRUCTURE
AND LOCAL POWER SOURCES TO SEE
IF WE COULD PROVIDE POWER
TO THE CANAL SYSTEM.
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
THOUGHT BIG,
BUT THEY NEVER FACED
THE BIG WATER PROBLEMS
WE'RE FACING TODAY.
AS AN ENGINEER, I LOVE THE IDEA
OF CONNECTING THE COLORADO
AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
HOWEVER, IN THE LONG RUN,
IT REALLY ISN'T PRACTICAL.
THE OVERALL CAPITAL COST
TO CONSTRUCT IT,
THE LENGTH OF THE CANAL
BEING OVER 1,500 MILES,
HAVING TO PUMP WATER
OVER 9,000 FEET VERTICAL --
IT WOULD CREATE A WATER THAT
WOULD BE SIMPLY TOO EXPENSIVE
FOR THE USERS
OF THE WATER TO PAY.
BUT, IN THE UNITED STATES,
YOU HAVE MORE THAN JUST
THE WILL OF AN EMPEROR.
YOU HAVE THE WILL OF
AN INCREASINGLY THIRSTY PUBLIC.
COMBINE POLITICAL WILL
WITH INNOVATIVE THINKING
AND THE WELL OF IDEAS
WILL NEVER RUN DRY.
BECAUSE BRINGING WATER
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
WOULD BE SO EXPENSIVE,
WE WOULD FIRST LOOK
AT LOCAL ALTERNATIVES.
SO WE WOULD UTILIZE LOCAL
GROUNDWATER SOURCES
THAT MIGHT BE BRACKISH
OR HAVE A HIGHER SALT CONTENT
AND USE SOME FORM
OF DESALINIZATION OR FILTRATION
TO MAKE THAT WATER POTABLE.
NO MATTER WHAT THE ECONOMICS
OF THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE,
WHEN WE REFLECT ON THE PAST,
WE HAVE THE ROMANS TO THANK
FOR THEIR INGENUITY...
ROME COULD NEVER HAVE ARRIVED
AT 1 MILLION INHABITANTS
WITHOUT THIS PERFECT
WATER SUPPLY.
...AND FOR THEIR ABILITY
TO BUILD THINGS THAT LAST.
TODAY, WHEN WE MAKE
AN INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE,
WE'RE OFTEN THINKING ONLY
ABOUT THE INITIAL COST
OR THE IMMEDIATE
BENEFICIARIES.
ROMAN INFRASTRUCTURE SHOWS THAT,
IF YOU BUILD IT WELL
TO LAST FOR CENTURIES,
YOU CAN'T PREDICT
WHO WILL BENEFIT IN THE FUTURE,
BUT IT WILL BENEFIT MILLIONS.
THE ROMANS ALSO PLACED
A VALUE ON WATER
THAT WAS, IN SOME WAYS,
AHEAD OF ITS TIME.
TODAY, AS WE THINK ABOUT
BRINGING WATER TO CITIES,
THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN
LEARN FROM ANCIENT ROME,
AND, ABOVE ALL, I WOULD SAY
HOW TO REUSE WATER
OVER AND OVER AGAIN
AS A PRECIOUS RESOURCE,
BUT ALSO AS SOMETHING THE PUBLIC
COULD AND SHOULD APPRECIATE
AND AS SOMETHING THAT IS
ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL
FOR A HEALTHY CITY
AND FOR A HEALTHY POPULATION.
WE HOPE OUR
NEW AQUEDUCT IS A TRIBUTE
TO THE ENGINEERING GENIUSES
THAT CAME BEFORE US.
BECAUSE TODAY, WE ARE STANDING
ON THE SHOULDERS
OF THE GIANTS OF ANCIENT ROME.
WHAT WE OFTEN DON'T STOP
AND THINK ABOUT
IS THAT IT'S OUR OBLIGATION
TO BE THE GIANTS
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
AND THE NEXT ONE.
BUILDING PUBLIC
INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS WATERWAYS
ALSO REMINDS US THAT NECESSITY
IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.
AND WHEN THE NEED IS GREAT,
GREAT IDEAS ARE BOUND TO BE BORN
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY.
ANCIENT ROME,
EUROPE'S SOLE SUPERPOWER.
IT'S GREATEST ENGINEERING
ACHIEVEMENT --
RUNNING WATER.
THE WATER ENGINEERING OF ROME
WAS ONE OF THE GREAT MARVELS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
ROME'S AQUEDUCTS --
ARTIFICIAL RIVERS --
BROUGHT ALMOST
200 MILLION GALLONS A DAY
TO A CITY
WHERE A MILLION CITIZENS
LIVED MORE CLEANLY
THAN ANYONE IN HISTORY.
THEY WERE ABLE TO RIVAL
PUBLIC SANITATION SYSTEMS
OF THE GREAT CITIES TODAY
NEARLY 2,000 YEARS LATER.
THERE WAS WATER EVERYWHERE
AND PLENTY TO DRINK.
BUSTING PIPES
BECAME BEAUTIFUL FOUNTAINS.
TODAY, WATER NEVER SEEMS TO BE
WHERE WE WANT IT,
WHEN WE WANT IT.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT
THE DROUGHT IN COLORADO.
WE'RE NOT IN ROME,
BUT COULD WE DO
AS THE ROMANS DID?
NO ONE CAN DO IT ALONE.
WE DON'T ALWAYS AGREE,
BUT WE ALWAYS WORK IT OUT.
CAN WE BUILD A WATER SYSTEM
TO RIVAL THE GREAT
AQUEDUCTS OF ROME?
TODAY, CLIMATE-CHANGE EXPERTS
ARE WARNING US
ABOUT INCREASING DROUGHT.
THE NEW NORMAL IS ACTUALLY WORSE
THAN WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING
RIGHT NOW.
BUT CAN TODAY'S
ENGINEERS MEASURE UP
TO THE BRILLIANCE
OF THE ANCIENTS?
OFTEN TODAY,
ENGINEERING IS UNSEEN.
IN ANCIENT ROME,
YOU SEE THE STONE,
YOU SEE THE ARCH,
YOU SEE THE AQUEDUCT,
AND YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY SEE
THAT THE ARCHITECTURE
OF INFRASTRUCTURE
IS A CELEBRATION
OF PUBLIC WORKS.
AND IF EVEN IF WE FIND A WAY,
ARE WE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO AFFORD IT?
IT MIGHT BE IN THE REALM
OF $50 BILLION TO $80 BILLION.
WE'RE ON THE JOBSITE OF ONE OF
THE WORLD'S GREATEST WONDERS.
AND WE'RE WONDERING,
HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE...
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST...
HOW MANY WORKERS WOULD WE NEED?
COULD WE EVEN DO IT,
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY?
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
LA BELLA ROMA.
WE LOVE IT FOR ITS FOOD
AND ITS MUSIC.
ITS FOUNTAINS ARE
SO MAGNIFICENT,
THEY'VE INSPIRED MOVIES.
BUT IT'S WHAT'S UNDERNEATH THEM
THAT'S EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE.
THAT'S BECAUSE ROUGHLY 80%
OF THIS AMAZING SYSTEM
IS UNDERGROUND.
IN ANCIENT ROME, THERE WERE MORE
THAN A DOZEN AQUEDUCTS IN ALL.
COMBINED, THEY COVERED
MORE THAN 500 MILES.
THEY BROUGHT WATER ALL THE WAY
FROM THE APENNINE MOUNTAINS
INTO THE CITY OF ROME.
THE SYSTEM CARRIED ENOUGH
DRINKABLE WATER
FOR A MILLION HOUSEHOLDS.
AND THE ROMANS DID IT
WITH STYLE.
SOME OF THESE ARCHES WERE BUILT
AS LONG AGO AS 312 B.C.
AND THEY INSTILL PASSION
TO THIS DAY.
ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE BUILT
TO PROVIDE FOR THE CITY OF ROME
WAS SEEN AS A CELEBRATION
OF ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION.
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
COULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED
HOW MUCH WE
WOULD NEED WATER TODAY.
CLIMATE-CHANGE SCIENTISTS
PREDICT THAT BY 2050,
MORE THAN 5 BILLION PEOPLE
WON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER.
SO WE'RE IMAGINING
OUR VERY OWN AQUEDUCT --
THE BIGGEST WATER-DELIVERY
SYSTEM THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
IT WILL BE ANCIENT INGENUITY
VERSUS 21st CENTURY INNOVATION.
BUT THE ROMANS HAVE A HEADSTART
IN THIS CONTEST.
THEY FIGURED OUT HOW
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF ONE OF
THE EARTH'S ELEMENTAL POWERS.
THE FIRST RULE A WATER
ENGINEER LEARNS
IS THAT WATER FLOWS DOWNHILL.
AND, THEY HELPED DEVELOP
THE BASIC BUILDING MATERIAL
WE'VE COME TO RELY ON.
BUT CAN WE FIGURE OUT
THEIR MAGIC FORMULA?
WHEN THE ROMANS DEVELOPED
CONCRETE USING VOLCANIC ASH,
IT OPENED UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD
OF CONSTRUCTION.
WE DON'T HAVE
EASY ACCESS TO VOLCANIC ASH
LIKE THE ROMANS DID.
AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO
CONSTRUCT A COLOSSAL AQUEDUCT
SYSTEM LIKE THEIRS WITHOUT
CREATING A CRUSHING FOOTPRINT?
THE WATER PROVIDED BATH
COMPLEXES WITH A CONSISTENT FLOW
FOR COLD AND HOT POOLS,
AND WENT ON TO POWER MANY
OTHER SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT ROME.
SO THE ROMANS REUSED THE WATER
IN A VERY CLEVER WAY
AS IT PASSED THROUGH THE CITY
OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
TODAY, WE'RE ALL
ABOUT RECYCLING.
BUT WE'VE GOT SOME COSTS
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.
UNLIKE THEM, WE LIKE
TO PAY OUR WORKERS.
PLUS, WHEN THEY NEEDED LAND,
THEY JUST TOOK IT BY FORCE.
WE RELY ON A WATERSHED
TO PROVIDE A SOURCE
OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER.
TODAY, THAT WATERSHED COULD
LIE OUTSIDE OF THE GEOGRAPHY
OF A CITY,
WHICH MAKES WATER
HIGHLY CONTESTED POLITICALLY.
WHY DID THE ANCIENT ROMANS
GO TO ALL THIS TROUBLE
WHEN THE TIBER RIVER
RUNS RIGHT THROUGH ROME?
WELL, YOU WOULDN'T WANT
TO DRINK THIS WATER.
AFTER EVERY WAR --
AND THE ROMANS HAD SO MANY WARS
WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS
IN THEIR EARLY YEARS --
YOU HAD SOME DEAD BODIES
SHIFTING THERE
IN THE THE TIBER RIVER.
LUCKILY FOR THIS WARRING NATION,
THERE WAS ANOTHER OPTION.
THE ROMANS DISCOVERED WATER IN
THE FAMOUS SEVEN HILLS OF ROME,
AND THEY TESTED IT TO BE SURE
IT WAS UNCONTAMINATED.
ONCE THEY KNEW THE WATER
WAS SAFE TO DRINK,
THE ROMANS DEVELOPED
A GENIUS PLAN
TO SHARE IT WITH THEIR PEOPLE.
YOU BRING HIGH VOLUMES,
GREAT VOLUMES OF WATER
OVER LONG DISTANCES
WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICAL POWER.
YOU JUST USE NATURAL GRAVITY.
THE ROMANS BUILT WATERWAYS
ON A PRECISE SLANT
TO DELIVER ONE OF THE BASICS
OF LIFE FREE OF CHARGE
TO THE CITY'S HOMES,
FOUNTAINS, MILLS,
AND THEIR PUBLIC THERMAL BATHS.
THE ROMANS ALSO DREW ON
THE ANCIENT PRINCIPLE
OF CREATING A SIPHON
TO MAKE WATER GO UPHILL.
WHILE THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF FLUID MECHANICS
WAS NOT AS ADVANCED AS TODAY,
ROMAN ENGINEERS KNEW
HOW TO REGULATE THE FLOW
AND THE SPEED OF WATER
SO THAT IT COULD EVEN GO UPHILL
SLIGHTLY, IF NECESSARY.
THE USE OF AN INVERTED SIPHON
ALLOWED THE ROMANS
TO GET WATER UNDER OBSTACLES.
GRAVITY PULLS THE WATER DOWN,
AND THEN THE INCREASING
WEIGHT OF THE WATER
CREATES ENOUGH PRESSURE
TO PUSH IT UP
TO EXACTLY THE SAME LEVEL
ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE.
AND WE'RE STILL USING
INVERTED SIPHONS TODAY
ON MODERN AQUEDUCTS.
SO WE'VE GOT TO DEVISE
AN ENORMOUS SYSTEM
THAT'S EFFICIENT,
NATURE-FRIENDLY,
AND WON'T BREAK THE BANK.
AND WITH WATER SUPPLIES REACHING
NEW LOWS ACROSS THE GLOBE,
WE'LL NEED TO WORK HARDER
AND SMARTER THAN THE ROMANS
IN ORDER TO GET OUR MODERN-DAY
MEGA-AQUEDUCT UP AND RUNNING.
AFTER 2,000 YEARS,
TOURISTS STILL FLOCK
TO THE FAMOUS FOUNTAINS OF ROME.
THEY'RE MORE THAN A REMNANT
OF ANCIENT TIMES.
THEY'RE PART OF ONE OF
THE MOST INNOVATIVE
AND EFFICIENT
WATER SYSTEMS IN HISTORY.
WE'RE IMAGINING
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO CREATE
AN EVEN BETTER SYSTEM TODAY.
AND, AS IT TURNS OUT, WE MAY
NEED IT SOONER THAN WE THINK.
MANY CLIMATE SCIENTISTS
SPECULATE THAT,
THE NEW NORMAL
IS ACTUALLY WORSE
THAN WHAT
WE'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW.
FOR THAT SAME REASON,
THIS IMPRESSIVE AQUEDUCT SYSTEM
WAS BUILT BACK IN THE 1970s
TO BRING WATER
TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT MOST.
THIS IS CENTRAL ARIZONA,
ONE OF THE DRIEST PLACES
IN NORTH AMERICA.
WE'RE NOT CLOSE TO AN OCEAN
AT ALL.
WE HAVE, SOME AREAS WHERE
THERE'S PRECIPITATION
AND EVEN, SOME SMALL LAKES.
BUT THEY'RE FAR AWAY, GENERALLY,
FROM WHERE THE POPULATION LIVES.
ARIZONA'S POPULATION IS OVER
7 MILLION AND RISING.
THIS IS THE PERFECT PLACE
FOR OUR CASE STUDY.
WE WANT TO BUILD AN AQUEDUCT
OF OUR OWN
TO BRING CLEAN WATER
TO MILLIONS.
BUT WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BUILD
OUR NEW MEGA-SYSTEM?
HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BUILD IT
OUT OF?
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE US?
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE NEED?
AND, CAN WE PULL IT OFF
WITHOUT DROWNING IN DEBT?
LET'S LOOK FOR A LOCATION FIRST.
IT TURNS OUT, EVEN WITH
AN EXISTING AQUEDUCT IN PLACE,
ARIZONANS ARE STILL THIRSTY.
WE ARE IN A DROUGHT
THAT HAS LASTED 18 YEARS SO FAR.
MAYBE THERE'S A WAY
TO USE MODERN MACHINES
AND ANCIENT METHODS TO BRING
EVEN MORE WATER
TO THIS PARCHED STATE.
80% OF ARIZONA'S POPULATION
GETS THEIR WATER
FROM THE MASSIVE COLORADO
RIVER 336 MILES AWAY.
ARIZONA IS AN ARID ENVIRONMENT,
AND SO WE DON'T SUPPLY
ENOUGH NATURAL WATER
IN OUR AREA TO SUPPLY US.
WE'VE, HAD A TENDENCY
TO UTILIZE GROUNDWATER,
BUT THAT'S A LIMITED RESOURCE.
SO USING SOMETHING LIKE
THE COLORADO RIVER WATER
AND BRINGING WATER INTO
OUR ARIZONA CENTRAL AREA,
IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST ARIZONA
THAT RELIES ON THIS WATER.
SEVEN DIFFERENT STATES
TAP INTO THE COLORADO RIVER.
AND AFTER NEARLY
TWO DECADES OF DROUGHT,
THIS WELL IS RUNNING DRY.
SO WE'RE SETTING OUR SIGHTS
ON ANOTHER MIGHTY
AMERICAN RIVER --
THE MISSISSIPPI.
WE'LL NEED TO BUILD
ABOUT 1,500 MILES OF AQUEDUCT
TO CONNECT THE MISSISSIPPI
AND COLORADO RIVERS.
BUT HOW ARE WE GOING
TO DO THAT?
IN ROME, THE ANCIENT ENGINEERS
KEPT IT SIMPLE --
SIMPLE, BUT PRECISE.
ROMAN BUILDERS WERE ABLE
TO SURVEY OVER GREAT DISTANCES
TO PROVIDE NEARLY
A STRAIGHT LINE
AND NEARLY A CONSTANT SLOPE
OVER LONG DISTANCES.
THE SURVEYING REQUIRED
FOR THE AQUEDUCTS
IS ONE OF THE MARVELS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
MODERN MAN IS CONTINUALLY
SURPRISED BY THE PRECISION
WHICH THOSE THINGS WERE BUILT,
JUST USING RUDIMENTARY THINGS
LIKE SEXTONS.
IT BOGGLES EVEN MY MIND
HOW EXACT THOSE THINGS ARE,
NOT HAVING THE TOOLS
THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE
TODAY LIKE GPS AND LASER
SIGHTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND IF THEY NEEDED
ANOTHER AQUEDUCT,
THEY JUST BUILT IT ON TOP.
BACK HERE IN AMERICA,
WHEN THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
WAS IN ITS PLANNING PHASE,
NO DETAIL WAS OVERLOOKED.
THEY WERE DOING
VERY EARLY SIGHTING STUDIES
FOR THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT,
TRIED TO PICK A PATH
THAT BALANCED EARTHWORK,
BALANCED THE COST OF GOING
THROUGH MOUNTAINS OR OVER THEM,
AND THEY UTILIZED
SOME VERY BASIC SURVEY TOOLS.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO GO
THROUGH A MOUNTAIN,
THEY HAD TO GET CREATIVE.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF AREAS
WHERE WE HAD TO BUILD A TUNNEL
DIRECTLY THROUGH A MOUNTAINSIDE.
IT WAS BUILT WITH
A TUNNEL-BORING MACHINE
THAT AT THAT TIME WAS A --
WAS A VERY, YOU KNOW,
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF THINGS.
THE TUNNEL-BORING
MACHINE WAS INVENTED
BY A FRENCH ENGINEER
IN THE 1700s.
A MASSIVE WHEEL FITTED WITH
MULTIPLE BLADES
GRINDS ITS WAY
THROUGH THE TOUGHEST ROCK
WITHOUT DISTURBING
THE LAYERS OVERHEAD.
IT'S THE SAME TECHNOLOGY THAT'S
OFTEN USED TO BUILD SUBWAYS.
WHEN THERE WASN'T A MOUNTAIN
IN THE WAY,
THERE WAS A RIVER.
MANY TIMES, THE ROMANS
CHOSE TO GO OVER,
UTILIZING A SERIES OF VIADUCTS.
BUT FOR MOST OF
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT,
WHEN WE CROSSED WE CHOSE TO USE
WHAT'S CALLED
AN INVERTED SIPHON.
WE WERE ACTUALLY PULLING WATER,
IN SOME WAYS,
FROM THE EXISTING CANAL SYSTEM
DOWN UNDERNEATH A RIVER,
AND POP UP ON THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT,
ONE OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES
FACED BY AMERICAN ENGINEERS
WAS HOW TO MAINTAIN
THE FLOW OF WATER --
SOMETHING THE ROMANS DID BY
TILTING THEIR WATERWAY
EVER SO SLIGHTLY.
YOU HAD A CONTINUOUS
FLOW OF WATER.
THIS WAS NEVER STAGNANT WATER.
IT WAS RUNNING DAY AND NIGHT.
IN ARIZONA,
IT TOOK 14 PUMPING STATIONS
TO KEEP THIS SYSTEM GOING.
SO THE MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE
THAT WE HAVE IN MODERN TIMES
AS COMPARED TO THE ROMANS IS,
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO LIFT
WATER FROM THE LOWER LOCATION
ACTUALLY TO A HIGHER LOCATION.
AND THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF THAT,
AS THE WATER WE LIFT STARTS
IN A LOCATION
THAT'S LOWER THAN ALL OF
OUR MAJOR CITIES.
THIS PROCESS MAKES CENTRAL
ARIZONA PROJECT, OR C.A.P.,
THE LARGEST ELECTRICAL-POWER
USER IN THE STATE.
BUT, THEY CAME UP WITH A WAY
TO AFFORD IT.
SO, WHAT THE CENTRAL ARIZONA
PROJECT HAS IS A UNIQUE FEATURE,
WHICH IS A SINGLE PLANT THAT IS
A PUMP AND GENERATION STATION,
WHICH ALLOWS US TO TAKE WATER
AND PUMP
DURING PERIODS OF LOW-POWER COST
AND LOW-WATER USE
TO FILL UP A RESERVOIR OR LAKE,
AND THEN IN PERIODS
OF HIGH-POWER COST
AND HIGH-WATER USE,
ALLOW US TO MAKE RELEASES
AND GENERATE ELECTRICITY
AND SELL THAT BACK ON THE GRID.
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
REALLY
IS A MARVEL OF ENGINEERING.
IF YOU CAN THINK OF
AN ACRE OF LAND
WITH 1.6 MILLION FEET DEEP
OF WATER ON IT,
THAT'S THE AMOUNT OF WATER
MOVED EVERY YEAR
OFF THE COLORADO RIVER.
TO TRACK THE CONSTANT
FLOW OF ALL THAT WATER,
THE C.A.P. RELIES ON THE
HARD-WORKING EMPLOYEES
IN THEIR CONTROL CENTER.
IF I'M A CITY OR A FARMER OR AN
IRRIGATION DISTRICT OR A TRIBE,
AND I WANT TO GET WATER FROM
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT,
IT STARTS WITH, ESSENTIALLY,
A WATER ORDER OR A PHONE CALL.
AND THAT PHONE CALL COMES INTO
THE CONTROL CENTER
THAT WE'RE IN HERE TODAY.
THEY CONSTITUTE A NUMBER
OF WATER ORDERS
THAT COME INTO
OUR LEAD DISPATCHER.
HE TAKES THOSE AND TURNS
THOSE INTO CUSTOMER REQUESTS.
HE USES THE COMPUTER TO TAKE
THOSE FLOWS AND CREATE,
ESSENTIALLY, A FLOW SCHEDULE
THROUGHOUT THE C.A.P. SYSTEM.
THE ROMANS DID SPOT TESTS
ALONG THEIR SYSTEM
TO MAKE SURE
EVERYTHING WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
IN ARIZONA, IT'S DONE REMOTELY
WITH THE HELP
OF FIBER-OPTIC TECHNOLOGY.
SO, BECAUSE CONTROLLING ALL OF
THOSE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT
REQUIRES A LOT OF DATA,
THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
INSTALLED
A FIBER-OPTIC CABLE ALONG
THE FULL LENGTH OF THE CANAL.
WITH THAT, WE'RE ABLE TO MONITOR
THOUSANDS OF WHAT WE CALL
DATA POINTS
ON A NEAR CONTINUOUS BASIS,
JUST TO ALLOW US TO SEE FROM
OUR CENTRALIZED CONTROL CENTER
EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
FIELD AT EVERY PUMPING PLANT,
AT EVERY TURNOUT WHERE WE MAKE
DELIVERIES TO OUR CUSTOMERS,
AND AT EVERY CHECK GATE WHERE
WE CONTROL THE FLOW OF WATER.
WE'LL REAP THE BENEFITS
OF THIS MODERN-DAY TECHNOLOGY
WHEN WE PLAN
OUR NEW WATER SYSTEM.
BUT IT CAN'T HURT TO TAKE
A FEW TIPS FROM THE TRIED
AND TRUE ROMAN
BUILDING TECHNIQUES
THAT HELPED SHAPE
THE ANCIENT AQUEDUCTS.
WE WANT TO RECREATE A SYSTEM
LIKE THE RENOWNED ROMAN
AQUEDUCTS, ONLY LONGER --
LONG ENOUGH
TO BRING A LOT OF WATER
TO A VERY DRY REGION
OF OUR PLANET.
AND WE'VE GOT TO ENSURE THAT
THE WATER STAYS CLEAN ENOUGH
FOR PEOPLE TO DRINK.
2,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ROMANS DID THIS
BY KEEPING
THEIR AQUEDUCTS COVERED.
THE ROMANS SLOWED DOWN THE WATER
AT SEVERAL PLACES
ALONG THE AQUEDUCT
TO ALLOW IMPURITIES TO SETTLE.
BUT ALTHOUGH IT WAS SLOW,
THE WATER WAS ALWAYS MOVING.
GOT IT.
SO JUST KEEP IT MOVING,
AND KEEP IT UNDERGROUND.
BUT AS IT TURNS OUT,
THAT KIND OF COVER-UP COSTS.
IT QUADRUPLES THE BASE PRICE.
SO C.A.P. OPTED FOR
A MAINTENANCE CREW
AND A FEW RULES FOR THE PUBLIC.
THEY CAN'T GO IN THE WATER.
THEY CAN'T COME
INSIDE THE FENCE.
IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS,
MANMADE RIVER.
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A SYSTEM
THAT'S AS EFFICIENT
AS THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT
BUT MUCH LONGER.
AND WE STILL NEED TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE TO BUILD IT,
AND WE MAY WANT TO AVOID
ANY BORDER CROSSING.
THE POLITICS OF WATER TODAY
ARE MUCH MORE COMPLICATED.
WHEN THE SUPPLY OF THE WATER
EXISTS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY
BUT A CITY OF MILLIONS
IS ACROSS THE BORDER,
HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT
BOTH COUNTRIES ARE PROVIDED FOR?
THESE ARE OPEN,
DIFFICULT POLITICAL QUESTIONS.
BUT IN ANCIENT ROME,
IT WAS SIMPLER
BECAUSE OF THE EXTENT OF THE
CONQUESTS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
POLITICS AREN'T THE
ONLY THING THAT HAVE CHANGED
SINCE THE ANCIENT ROMANS
BUILT THEIR FIRST AQUEDUCTS.
TODAY, WE ALSO HAVE ACCESS
TO DIFFERENT BUILDING MATERIALS
TO WORK WITH.
THE ROMANS' ELEGANTLY-DESIGNED
SYSTEM HAS BEEN AROUND
SINCE THE DAYS OF JULIUS CAESAR,
AND MUCH OF IT
HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS
WE CAN LEARN
FROM TRADITIONAL
ROMAN CONSTRUCTION.
ROMANS BUILT TO LAST.
ROMANS LOOKED FOR
DURABLE MATERIALS.
SO WHAT WOULD WE USE TODAY?
THE ROMANS GOT A LOT DONE
WITH BUCKETS, SHOVELS,
AND RUDIMENTARY CRANES.
THEY EVEN CAME UP WITH
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR
BUILDING MATERIALS OF ALL TIME.
THE ROMANS ARE GENERALLY
CREDITED FOR INVENTING CONCRETE.
THIS IS SOMETHING
VERY VALUABLE FOR US.
AND WITH ALL OF THE MODERN
INVENTIONS THAT WE HAVE --
EVEN THOSE THAT HAVE COME
INTO PLAY SINCE THE C.A.P.
WAS BUILT, LIKE LASERS
AND COMPUTERS AND GPS
AND THINGS LIKE THAT --
WITHOUT CONCRETE,
IT WOULD BE PRETTY DIFFICULT
TO DO WHAT WE DID HERE.
THE ROMANS DEVELOPED CONCRETE
USING VOLCANIC ASH
FROM NEAR MOUNT VESUVIUS.
THEY DISCOVERED THAT
A PARTICULAR ASH WAS REACTIVE,
MEANING THAT IF IT WERE GROUND
INTO DUST AND MIXED WITH WATER,
IT WOULD SET HARD AND BECOME
ESSENTIALLY A LIQUID STONE.
ROMAN CONCRETE IS QUITE
DIFFERENT FROM TODAY'S CONCRETE
BECAUSE THE AGGREGATE,
OR STONES,
THAT ARE COMBINED
WITH THE ASH MIXTURE,
ARE MUCH LARGER
IN ROMAN CONCRETE,
WHEREAS IN TODAY'S CONCRETE,
WE'RE ONLY COMMONLY USING
VERY SMALL PIECES OF GRAVEL.
SO WHAT DID THEY USE
IN ARIZONA FOR A DITCH
THAT WAS MORE THAN 23 FEET DEEP
AND CLOSE TO 310 MILES LONG?
TURNS OUT, IT WAS A BIT
OF A BUDGET MIX.
THEY RECOGNIZED THAT
THE MOST EXPENSIVE COMPONENT
OF THE CONCRETE
WAS THE CEMENT.
SO THEY SPECIFIED MIXES
THAT WOULD REDUCE
THE AMOUNT OF CEMENT.
SEEMS LIKE WE MIGHT SEE A BIG
MAINTENANCE BILL DOWN THE ROAD.
CONCRETE WILL ALWAYS CRACK.
WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS PLACES WHERE
WE'VE REPAIRED THE AQUEDUCT
OVER THE COURSE OF YEARS BECAUSE
OF POOR-QUALITY MATERIALS.
WE MAY NOT HAVE A LOT
OF VOLCANIC ASH LYING AROUND,
BUT WE'VE GOT SOME
PRETTY NIFTY TECHNOLOGY
FOR OUR MODERN AQUEDUCT.
STILL, IT SEEMS LIKE
WE'RE JUST KEEPING OUR HEAD
ABOVE WATER HERE.
IT'S EASY TO REPAIR
THE CONCRETE.
BUT IT'S NOT NEARLY AS EASY
TO UNDERSTAND, ANTICIPATE,
AND BE ABLE TO REPAIR
A LOT OF THE EQUIPMENT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT.
SO WE'LL BUILD
OUR MODERN-DAY AQUEDUCT
WITH TUNNEL-BORING MACHINES,
MASSIVE PUMPING PLANTS,
AND LOTS AND LOTS OF CONCRETE.
BUT, COULD WE BE HEADED
FOR TROUBLED WATER?
WE'RE IMAGINING HOW WE COULD
BUILD A MODERN-DAY SYSTEM
TO RIVAL THE CELEBRATED
ROMAN AQUEDUCTS.
WE'VE BEEN TAKING
AN UP-CLOSE LOOK
AT THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT.
AND AS IT TURNS OUT,
WE'RE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE
WHO'VE BEEN DOING THAT.
THERE DEFINITELY ARE PLACES
IN THE WORLD
WHERE PROJECTS OF EVEN
LARGER SCALE THAN THIS
ARE PROBABLY APPROPRIATE.
WE'VE HAD LOTS OF VISITORS
FROM EASTERN AND CENTRAL ASIA,
WHERE THERE ARE SIMILAR
TYPES OF SITUATIONS --
ARID REGIONS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE
AND NEED WATER --
IN AFRICA AND IN SOUTH AMERICA,
AS WELL.
AND WE HAVE BY NOW
TWO-AND-A-HALF DECADES
OF LESSONS LEARNED
OF RUNNING THIS PROJECT.
WE FIGURE WE'LL CREATE
OUR BIGGER, BETTER SYSTEM
BY RELYING ON ROMAN EXPERTISE
AND SOME INNOVATIVE
AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY.
WE'LL CONSTRUCT IT
WITH CONCRETE,
EVEN IF WE CAN'T DUPLICATE
ALL THE ANCIENT INGREDIENTS.
BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD WE
NEED TO BUILD OUR SYSTEM?
2,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ROMANS DIDN'T NEED
TO HIRE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
TO BUILD THEIR SYSTEM
OF AQUEDUCTS.
TRAGICALLY, ROMANS WERE
OFTEN USING SLAVE LABOR
AS A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY
TO BUILD SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE INCONCEIVABLY
EXPENSIVE TODAY.
WE WILL DEFINITELY
BE PAYING OUR WORKERS,
AND WE'LL NEED A LOT OF THEM.
WE ESTIMATE THAT IT MIGHT
TAKE 1,000 PEOPLE
TO DO THE FULL CONSTRUCTION.
AND WE FIGURE WE'LL
BRING IN THE SPECIALISTS
WHO HELPED DESIGN THE SYSTEM
IN CENTRAL ARIZONA.
IT TOOK A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
TYPE OF ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
TOGETHER TO BUILD IT --
CIVIL ENGINEERS,
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS,
AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS.
AND ALL OF THOSE DISCIPLINES
ARE DEVELOPED
THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE BASE
THAT'S ACQUIRED
OVER MANY YEARS OF STUDY.
AND SOME OF THOSE DATE
ALL THE WAY BACK TO EARLY TIMES.
NOW THAT WE KNOW
THE WHERE AND THE HOW
AND THE WHO OF A MODERN TAKE
ON OUR AQUEDUCT PROJECT,
THE NEXT BIG QUESTION IS,
HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE?
IT TURNS OUT THE ROMANS
HAD A BIG ADVANTAGE
WHEN IT CAME TO TIME, TOO.
FAST FORWARD 2,000 YEARS,
AND THE POLITICS IS
A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED.
IT TOOK MORE THAN 40 YEARS
JUST TO GET THROUGH THE LEGAL
AND POLITICAL COMPLICATIONS
OF ACQUIRING THE LAND
FOR THE CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT.
THERE WERE LAWSUITS.
THERE WERE LEGAL CHALLENGES.
THERE WAS A SUPREME COURT CASE.
WATER RESOURCES
CROSS NATIONAL BOUNDARIES TODAY.
IN ANCIENT ROME, THE ROMAN
EMPIRE STRETCHED SO FAR
THAT ROMAN BUILDERS COULD DRAW
UPON A WATER SUPPLY
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY
TO PROVIDE CONSISTENT WATER
FOR THE CITY OF ROME.
ONCE WE HAVE
ALL THE APPROVALS WE NEED,
HOW LONG WILL
THE CONSTRUCTION TAKE?
TO BUILD A SYSTEM BRINGING WATER
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
INTO THE COLORADO RIVER,
WE ESTIMATE,
ON ROUGH ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE,
THAT IT MIGHT TAKE
APPROXIMATELY 20 YEARS
TO DO THE FULL CONSTRUCTION.
WE KNOW WE COULD BUILD AN
AQUEDUCT SYSTEM TO BRING WATER
FROM ONE GREAT AMERICAN RIVER
TO ANOTHER
USING A COMBINATION
OF CUTTING-EDGE PUMPING
AND MONITORING TECHNOLOGY
AND GOOD, OLD-FASHIONED GRAVITY.
WE WOULD NEED 1,000
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS.
AND IF THE CENTRAL ARIZONA
PROJECT IS ANY INDICATION,
IT WOULD TAKE 5 TO 10 TIMES
AS LONG TO BUILD
AN AQUEDUCT SYSTEM TODAY
AS IN ANCIENT TIMES.
WE'RE TALKING 20 YEARS
FOR THE CONSTRUCTION ALONE,
WHICH LEAVES US TREADING WATER
AS WE FACE
THE TOUGHEST QUESTION OF ALL --
WHAT'S IT ALL GOING TO COST?
THE WATER SYSTEM OF ANCIENT ROME
IS STILL REVERED BY ENGINEERS
2,000 YEARS AFTER IT
WAS FIRST CONSTRUCTED.
A RECENTLY DISCOVERED PORTION
OF THE AQUEDUCTS
IS EVEN PART OF
A SOUND-AND-LIGHT SHOW
IN THIS NEW SHOPPING MALL
IN ROME.
OUR MISSION IS TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO BUILD
AN EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE
WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM
IN AMERICA TODAY.
WE WANT TO BUILD ALL THE WAY
FROM THE GREAT MISSISSIPPI
TO THE MIGHTY COLORADO
IN ORDER TO BRING CLEAN WATER
TO THE PARCHED STATE OF ARIZONA.
WE INTEND TO USE CONCRETE,
ELECTRICAL POWER,
AND THE LATEST DIGITAL
AND FIBER-OPTIC TECHNOLOGY.
AND WE'RE RELYING ON THE BRAWN
AND BRAINS
OF THOUSANDS
OF AMERICAN WORKERS.
BUT ARE WE ABOUT TO BE
SWEPT AWAY IN A FLOOD OF DEBT?
IF THERE'S ONE THINGS
THE ROMANS WERE BETTER
AT THAN BUILDING SMART,
IT WAS SPENDING SMART.
JUST NEAR HERE, TRAJAN'S
AQUEDUCT TRAVELED UNDERGROUND,
AND THERE WAS A ROMAN GRAIN MILL
JUST IN FRONT OF ME
THAT WAS POWERED BY THE WATER
TO GRIND THE GRAIN TO FEED ROME.
ONCE THE WATER POWERED
THE WHEELS,
IT COULD THEN DESCEND
INTO THE CENTER OF ROME
WHERE IT PROVIDED
NOT ONLY PUBLIC FOUNTAINS,
WHICH DISPLAYED A DOMINION
OVER WATER,
THE WATER WAS ALSO USED
TO FLUSH TOILETS.
THE WATER WAS NOT WASTED.
IN THE TIME OF THE EMPERORS,
GETTING MONEY WAS AS EASY
AS TURNING ON A TAP.
BUT HOW MUCH DID THE CENTRAL
ARIZONA PROJECT COST?
IT WAS ROUGHLY $4 BILLION
OVER THAT 20-YEAR PERIOD
FROM 1973 TO 1993.
ABOUT HALF OF THAT MONEY WAS FOR
THINGS LIKE PURCHASING LAND,
ISSUING PERMITS,
WHAT WE'LL CALL SOFT COSTS.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE REPEATED
IF ONE WAS REPLACING THE CANAL
THAT'S IN THE GROUND TODAY.
AND THERE'S ONE MORE BUDGET ITEM
WE HAVEN'T EVEN INCLUDED YET.
IN 20 YEARS, WE PROBABLY HAVE
SPENT EASILY
DOUBLE THE COST OF THE CANAL
TO BUILD IT
IN MAINTAINING IT SINCE THEN,
AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO LAST
FOR ANOTHER 100 YEARS.
OKAY, LET'S DO THE MATH.
THE ORIGINAL COST OF $4 BILLION
PLUS FOUR TIMES THE ORIGINAL
COST IN MAINTENANCE --
THAT'S $16 BILLION.
PLUS FIVE TIMES
THOSE MAINTENANCE
COSTS OVER THE NEXT CENTURY.
THAT'S ANOTHER $84 BILLION
FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF...
$104 BILLION
OVER THE PLANNED LIFETIME
OF THIS MODERN AQUEDUCT SYSTEM.
BUT BEFORE YOU WRAP YOUR MIND
AROUND THE COLOSSAL COSTS
OF BUILDING
AN EVEN BIGGER SYSTEM,
YOU NEED TO MEET SOMEONE WHO
MIGHT PROVIDE SOME PERSPECTIVE.
MY NAME IS DAN THELANDER.
I'M AN ARIZONA FARMER HERE
IN THE MARICOPA-STANFIELD AREA.
C.A.P. STARTED DELIVERING WATER
HERE IN ABOUT 1985,
AND PRIOR TO THAT,
IT WAS ALL GROUNDWATER,
AND THE GROUNDWATER WAS BEING
DEPLETED AT A PRETTY RAPID RATE,
SO THERE WERE A LOT OF FARMS
THAT WERE BEING FALLOWED
BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF WATER.
SO THE C.A.P. COMING IN HERE
REALLY WAS THE SALVATION
FOR THIS AREA.
THELANDER AND
HIS FAMILY GROW COTTON
AND WHEAT PLUS ALFALFA
AND CORN FOR DAIRY CATTLE.
ME AND MY NEPHEW AND
MY SON FARM ABOUT 5,000 ACRES.
WE HAVE 15 EMPLOYEES, AND SO
THAT'S WHAT KEEPS US ALL GOING.
BUT IT'S NOT EASY IN A REGION
THAT GETS LESS THAN
EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN A YEAR.
TOO MANY TIMES PEOPLE
THINK THAT THEIR FOOD
COMES FROM THE GROCERY STORE.
FOOD STARTS AT THE FARM LEVEL,
AND YOU CAN'T ALWAYS
REPLACE FOOD FROM ONE AREA
BY IMPORTING IT FROM ANOTHER.
AND THE DROUGHT IN THIS AREA
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE.
WE'RE PRETTY MUCH
GROWING SOMETHING YEAR-ROUND.
THIS WATER COMING IN ALLOWS US
TO FARM ALL OF OUR ACREAGE,
SO WE'VE HAD A GOOD,
PLENTIFUL SUPPLY OF WATER.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT
THE DROUGHT IN COLORADO.
WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
AND THIS ISN'T THE
ONLY PLACE HEADED FOR DISASTER.
WITH ALL THE SUCCESSES
THAT WE'VE HAD,
THEY HAVE NOT UNDONE
THE REALITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
AND A HOTTER, DRYER FUTURE.
BY 2025, 2/3 OF
THE PEOPLE ON THE PLANET
WON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER.
THIS IS A PROBLEM
EVEN TOO BIG FOR AN EMPEROR.
BUT THERE'S A HUGE OCEAN
OUT THERE THAT CAN BE TAPPED.
IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE
THAN THE SOURCE OF WATER
THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW,
BUT AT SOME POINT,
THE ECONOMY AND THE MARKET
WILL STRAIGHTEN THAT OUT.
WE WANT TO DO OUR PART TO HELP
SOLVE THE IMPENDING WATER CRISIS
BY CONSTRUCTING
A MODERN-DAY WATER SYSTEM.
BUT CAN WE PULL TOGETHER
THE RESOURCES
AND FUNDING WE'LL NEED
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE?
THE ROMANS HAVE BUILT
SOME OF THE MOST ENDURING
AND AESTHETICALLY PLEASING
ARCHITECTURE IN THE WORLD.
THE INGENUOUS THINKING THAT
WENT INTO THE ROMAN AQUEDUCTS
WAS FAR AHEAD OF ITS TIME.
BUT IN AMERICA,
WE KNOW HOW TO BUILD BIG.
SO WE'RE IMAGINING THE BIGGEST
AQUEDUCT EVER MADE...
BIGGER THAN THE
CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT.
WE'RE PLANNING TO TRANSPORT
BILLIONS OF LITERS OF WATER
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
TO THE COLORADO RIVER.
THAT'S OVER 1,500 MILES,
FIVE TIMES AS LONG
AS THE AQUEDUCT SYSTEM
THAT EXTENDED ACROSS
THE ENTIRE ROMAN EMPIRE.
OKAY, LET'S DO IT.
IF WE WERE TO BUILD AN AQUEDUCT
LIKE THE C.A.P.,
BUT LONGER TO BE ABLE TO REACH
INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER,
WHAT WE WOULD DO TODAY
WOULD BE, FIRST,
PLOT A COURSE FROM A MAP.
AND WE'LL LOOK AT TRYING TO FIND
AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT PATH
THAT WOULD MINIMIZE
THE AMOUNT OF EXCAVATION,
MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF TUNNELS
GOING THROUGH MOUNTAINS
AND TRY TO MINIMIZE
THE NUMBER OF TIMES
THAT THE CANAL WOULD HAVE
TO GO UP AND DOWN.
THAT'S THE WAY
THEY DID IN ROME.
THEY WORKED WITH,
NOT AGAINST, NATURE.
NEXT, WE NEED TO BUY RIGHTS
FOR THE LAND WE'LL BE USING,
AND LET'S NOT FORGET --
WE ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER
OUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS
WHO CALL THE LAND HOME.
IN SOME LANDS, WE MIGHT BE
DISTURBING SENSITIVE LAND
AND HAVE TO DO ENVIRONMENTAL
SET-ASIDES OR OTHER THINGS
THAT MAKE SURE WE DON'T HAMPER
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
OR MIGRATION PATHS OF ANIMALS.
WE'LL FOLLOW C.A.P.'S
LEAD AND BUILD OUR CANALS
SO THAT WILDLIFE WOULD HAVE
A SPECIAL RIGHT OF WAY.
AS A MATTER OF FACT,
IT'S CAMOUFLAGED
SO THAT THEY CAN'T TELL THAT
THEY'RE WALKING ABOVE THE WATER
BECAUSE, OTHERWISE,
THEY MAY BE FRIGHTENED.
THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE
THE PHYSICAL
CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANAL,
SO ACTUAL EXCAVATION
OF THE CANAL,
LINING THE CANAL WITH CONCRETE,
AND THEN, NEXT, WE'LL BE
BUILDING THE PUMPING PLANTS.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.
WE'RE GOING TO CROWN
OUR WATER SYSTEM
WITH A FOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE
OF THIS DESERT CITY,
SO FANTASTIC, IT WILL PUT
THE FOUNTAINS IN VEGAS TO SHAME.
WE DID IT!
WE BUILT A WATERWAY
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ALL THE WAY TO THE COLORADO.
WE BUILT IT OUT OF CONCRETE,
MOVING AROUND NATURAL OBSTACLES,
AND PROVIDING AN ALTERNATE
ROUTE FOR WILDLIFE.
WE INCLUDED THE LATEST
IN HYDRAULIC, DIGITAL,
AND FIBER-OPTIC TECHNOLOGY.
IT TOOK A THOUSAND WORKERS,
USING SOME OF THE MIGHTIEST
MACHINES ON EARTH,
AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
ALL THE RED TAPE.
IT TOOK US 20 YEARS.
SO NOW, BRACE YOURSELF
FOR A TIDAL WAVE OF COSTS.
IT MIGHT BE IN THE REALM OF
$50 BILLION TO $80 BILLION
TO CONSTRUCT.
AND THAT DOESN'T
INCLUDE MAINTENANCE COSTS
AND THE ONGOING COST
OF FINDING ENOUGH POWER
TO KEEP THE WATER FLOWING.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY
TO LIFT THE WATER
THROUGH THE PUMPING PLANTS
AND THEN PUT IT IN THE CANAL,
SO WE'D HAVE TO LOOK
AT THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION
INFRASTRUCTURE
AND LOCAL POWER SOURCES TO SEE
IF WE COULD PROVIDE POWER
TO THE CANAL SYSTEM.
THE ANCIENT ROMANS
THOUGHT BIG,
BUT THEY NEVER FACED
THE BIG WATER PROBLEMS
WE'RE FACING TODAY.
AS AN ENGINEER, I LOVE THE IDEA
OF CONNECTING THE COLORADO
AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
HOWEVER, IN THE LONG RUN,
IT REALLY ISN'T PRACTICAL.
THE OVERALL CAPITAL COST
TO CONSTRUCT IT,
THE LENGTH OF THE CANAL
BEING OVER 1,500 MILES,
HAVING TO PUMP WATER
OVER 9,000 FEET VERTICAL --
IT WOULD CREATE A WATER THAT
WOULD BE SIMPLY TOO EXPENSIVE
FOR THE USERS
OF THE WATER TO PAY.
BUT, IN THE UNITED STATES,
YOU HAVE MORE THAN JUST
THE WILL OF AN EMPEROR.
YOU HAVE THE WILL OF
AN INCREASINGLY THIRSTY PUBLIC.
COMBINE POLITICAL WILL
WITH INNOVATIVE THINKING
AND THE WELL OF IDEAS
WILL NEVER RUN DRY.
BECAUSE BRINGING WATER
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
WOULD BE SO EXPENSIVE,
WE WOULD FIRST LOOK
AT LOCAL ALTERNATIVES.
SO WE WOULD UTILIZE LOCAL
GROUNDWATER SOURCES
THAT MIGHT BE BRACKISH
OR HAVE A HIGHER SALT CONTENT
AND USE SOME FORM
OF DESALINIZATION OR FILTRATION
TO MAKE THAT WATER POTABLE.
NO MATTER WHAT THE ECONOMICS
OF THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE,
WHEN WE REFLECT ON THE PAST,
WE HAVE THE ROMANS TO THANK
FOR THEIR INGENUITY...
ROME COULD NEVER HAVE ARRIVED
AT 1 MILLION INHABITANTS
WITHOUT THIS PERFECT
WATER SUPPLY.
...AND FOR THEIR ABILITY
TO BUILD THINGS THAT LAST.
TODAY, WHEN WE MAKE
AN INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE,
WE'RE OFTEN THINKING ONLY
ABOUT THE INITIAL COST
OR THE IMMEDIATE
BENEFICIARIES.
ROMAN INFRASTRUCTURE SHOWS THAT,
IF YOU BUILD IT WELL
TO LAST FOR CENTURIES,
YOU CAN'T PREDICT
WHO WILL BENEFIT IN THE FUTURE,
BUT IT WILL BENEFIT MILLIONS.
THE ROMANS ALSO PLACED
A VALUE ON WATER
THAT WAS, IN SOME WAYS,
AHEAD OF ITS TIME.
TODAY, AS WE THINK ABOUT
BRINGING WATER TO CITIES,
THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN
LEARN FROM ANCIENT ROME,
AND, ABOVE ALL, I WOULD SAY
HOW TO REUSE WATER
OVER AND OVER AGAIN
AS A PRECIOUS RESOURCE,
BUT ALSO AS SOMETHING THE PUBLIC
COULD AND SHOULD APPRECIATE
AND AS SOMETHING THAT IS
ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL
FOR A HEALTHY CITY
AND FOR A HEALTHY POPULATION.
WE HOPE OUR
NEW AQUEDUCT IS A TRIBUTE
TO THE ENGINEERING GENIUSES
THAT CAME BEFORE US.
BECAUSE TODAY, WE ARE STANDING
ON THE SHOULDERS
OF THE GIANTS OF ANCIENT ROME.
WHAT WE OFTEN DON'T STOP
AND THINK ABOUT
IS THAT IT'S OUR OBLIGATION
TO BE THE GIANTS
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
AND THE NEXT ONE.
BUILDING PUBLIC
INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS WATERWAYS
ALSO REMINDS US THAT NECESSITY
IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.
AND WHEN THE NEED IS GREAT,
GREAT IDEAS ARE BOUND TO BE BORN
IF WE BUILT IT TODAY.