THE “MIGHTY CWU GANGES”

The Ganges river in India and Pakistan is one of the longest, most powerful and life sustaining rivers in the world. In the Hindu religion, it is worshiped as Ganga, the goddess of purification and forgiveness.

By most accounts, the Ganges is also one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

Here in Ellensburg, the canal running through the CWU campus has also been dubbed ‘the Ganges,’ albeit for far more sarcastic and cynical reasons.

The question arises then: Is this really a fair comparison? Just how polluted is the CWU canal?

What is the Canal?

Originally the canal was known as the Ellensburg Town Canal, Town Canal or Town Ditch, but today the canal is officially called the Ellensburg Water Company Canal.

According to Science Professor Paul James, the canal itself “is an irrigation canal; it’s a ditch that was built by humans. It was not a natural stream, and its purpose is to convey water from the Yakima River to the valley. A lot of it’s for Timothy Hay and whatever crops happen to be growing, or just for pasture to grow grass for animals.”

The canal was dug to irrigate about 7,000 acres of farmland.and is part of a 26 mile long irrigation canal system which was dug from 1885 to 1889.

So why is it called “the Ganges?”

The canal was called “the Ganges” as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Ganges River in India. “That name [The Ganges] is likely because many times of the year it doesn’t have the most clear of water, and the Ganges River [in India] is known for having a high content of organic matter. So there are some similarities between those two bodies of water,” says Science Department Chair Holly Pinkart.

The Ganges in India is central to many religious practices such as burial. But it is also infamously known for having millions of gallons of industrial wastewater and untreated sewage dumped into it every day.

And while the CWU Ganges has been positively tested for contaminants that would make the water unsafe to drink or bathe in, it really pales in comparison.

“It is merely just an open irrigation ditch with the purpose of just moving

Science Department Chair Holly Pinkart inspects samples taken from the Town Canal water downhill away from campus,” says James. As the water flows through the canal, it will pick up contaminants along the way such as herbicides, pesticides and diseases like e. Coli from cattle.

Trash is also a common sight in the canal; one year the CWU Environmental Club cleaned up 200 pounds of trash from the canal while it was shut off according to Clay Arango, professor of Science.

When did the name “change”?

There’s no clear answer as to when the Town Canal was officially dubbed “the Ganges,” however one of the earliest recorded references comes from the early 1960s.

According to a 1961 Hyakem yearbook, new residents living in Montgomery Hall were initiated by dunking themselves in the canal. That same year, residents of Stephens Hall initiated their freshmen by building a bridge across it. Countless students have even (usually drunkenly) jumped into the canal for a swim. According to a 1997 issue of The Observer, one night during a 90-minute power outage, a few students jumped into the canal in front of a crowd of hundreds. One student heroically faltered during this event, and broke his ankle after jumping off of the bridge between Stephens-Whitney and Moore Hall.

“Given the microbial communities that live in the irrigation water, the risk of infection is pretty high” Pinkart says, recollecting the incident.

On top of throwing shopping carts, bicycles and even a 14-foot aluminum boat into the canal, students have also been known to float down the canal in inner tubes. Regardless of what students wish to do in the canal, professionals from the science department highly recommend washing up with hot soapy water before touching the mouth or face.

Is it a fair comparison?

“I don’t think it’s a fair comparison,” says Pinkart. “The Ganges River has a lot of cultural significance for people that depend on it. Our irrigation canal, not so much.”

In a 2014 issue of The Observer, former professor Mark Auslander stated that “the Ganges is the most sacred river in India. There’s a sneering tone when Americans use that term here about the irrigation canal.”

The slang term for the canal could easily be seen as offensive to the Hindu community, so perhaps a re-naming of the canal could be appropriate for the modern day.

Should the name be changed?

As mentioned before various names have already been officially established such as the Ellensburg Water Company Canal, the Town Canal, the CWU canal, and the Town Ditch. The latter of which seems to fit the cynical nature which Ellensburg residents have bestowed upon the canal. The name “Town Ditch” also addresses the canal for what it is: an irrigation ditch, nothing too special.

Whether or not the canal’s nickname changes, its reputation will be incredibly difficult to overcome.

Dr Pinkart remarked that “there’s people that for one, don’t respect what the water actually is. [Secondly,] I think some people think the water is much worse than it is. In terms of its water quality, it’s certainly no worse than any other irrigation canal. In many respects, that’s better.”

The Ganges is 1,560 miles long

The CWU Canal is 26 miles long

The Ganges is 50 MILLION YEARS OLD

The CWU Canal is 38 YEARS OLD 1

Contaminants in the Ganges: industrial wastewater untreated sewage

Contaminants in the CWU Canal: trash pesticides manure animal excrements

The bleachers are full, there’s five seconds on the shot clock. Hitting this shot is what every kid with sports aspirations dreams of. The emotion, the happiness, the satisfaction. Now turn that on its head. The emotion, the sadness, the dissatisfaction. Every athlete understands the risk of coming to play, they know they’ll have to deal with the possibility of losing big games.

But how do they feel in the moment? What’s next for athletes in these heartbreaking scenarios?

story by Brian Valencia and Isaac Hinson photos by Sandra Rivera design by Rody Farr