Science in Fiction (#7): Fated by Sarah Fine

Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Fated by Sarah Fine!

Marked | Claimed | Fated | Fated Swoon Thursday

Fated is third and final book of the Servants of Fate series. This is an urban fantasy series set in the future, in which the earth is in a fairly post-apocalyptic state. One of the unique (and tragic) elements of this world is the canals. The canals are filled with boats and organ-hunting pirates (you read that correctly), but it is also something else: the water is heavily contaminated, dirty, brown-colored, disease-filled, bacteria-ridden, and toxic. 

I've already talked about water stress and water scarcity, in Science in Fiction (#2) featuring Forged by Erin Bowman. Today, I'm going to feature polluted waterways specifically.

I was reading an article about a week ago (and for the life of me, I can't find that article), and it featured something that almost immediately reminded me of Fated. The Cuyahoga River, running through Cleveland, Ohio, is a river well-known in environmental history. It was once so polluted that in June 1969, it caught fire. It has caught on fire at least thirteen times in the past.

November 3, 1952

(Image source.)

In the 1970s, many of the major environmental laws were passed in the U.S.A., and the EPA was created. The Clean Water Act is one of the most fundamental environmental laws, and protects national parks, to drinking water. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on remediation efforts on the Cuyahoga River alone. 

But how did it catch on fire? It was oil slick and debris, so concentrated on the surface, which caught fire. Raw sewage used to be dumped directly into rivers and other waterways, which was the source of such pollution. Even today, the dumping of some waste (industrial, nuclear, etc.) still occurs in streams and rivers. It obviously isn't great in terms of potability, or ecologically, but then there's the threat of a river on fire. Scary. no?

Reporter from the 1960s showing the pollution of the river by sticking his hand in it. Don't ever do this! Put some gloves on or something.

(Image source.)

Today, the Cuyahoga River is not nearly as polluted and nasty-looking as it was in the 1960s. I still doubt I would ever swim or fish in the river (if there is even marine life), but the difference is incredible. I don't know the present state of industrial dumping at this river, but from appearances alone, the river looks healthier. And there have not been recent fires on the river.

Cuyahoga River, east bank, 2012 (?)

(Image source.)

Wouldn't it be scary if a waterway near you caught fire one day? If you live in an area where hydraulic fracturing occurs, this is actually a HUGE possibility (those in Colorado, Wyoming, even areas of Pennsylvania and New York). I so hope that I can talk about hydraulic fracturing one day because it is something I want to tackle in my career somewhere down the road! Anyway, I'll leave you all on that morbidly cheerful note. Happy Sunday!