LaFayette High School senior Caleb Henry may have a solution to the continuing struggle over the Tennessee River’s water.
He would like to see river water no longer used as a water supply – for anyone. He would like to see it replaced with ocean water.
In an effort to help solve the world’s issue of finite freshwater and salt supplies, he penned an essay … and a possible solution. For this, he is one of 12 students invited to the third annual Environmental Summit being held at Rock City April 28-29.
“My essay was about a solution that no one had thought about before,” Henry said. “Basically, my essay is about desalinating ocean water on a massive scale. We don’t drain the ocean dry; we just drain enough. Salt is a non-renewable resource. Eventually it will dwindle. Not only would this help the water supply, it would give us more salt.”
His solution earned him a place among the top 12 essays on environmental issues involving water. As such, he, along with high school students from across the Chattanooga area, will attend the two-day summit where they will interact with experts in the field of environmental studies.
“Basically [at the summit] they are discussing ways to lessen the strain on the Earth’s rivers,” Henry explained.
His proposition could mean more for humanity than just water and salt. It could mean a lot of jobs.
He recommends implementing boat emissions testing, just like the testing for vehicles done in Tennessee, in every state, and using the money from fees to help fund the project. The salt reclaimed could be sold to industries that utilize it on a large scale, he said.
He said he would like to see piping similar to what pumps oil across large distances built to pull the water from the ocean and pump it to treatment facilities. “If we heat the water to boiling, then the salt stays on the bottom and water becomes gas,” Henry explained of the desalination process. “We can freeze it to become water. Then, we would have a room of salt and a room of water.”
Tankers would then transport the freshwater around the United States, again similar to the way oil is transported, and deposit it in reservoirs feeding into homes, businesses and industrial operations.
His essay also suggests having non-violent inmates clean up along waterways, and providing programs to educate inmates about water conservation and training that could be used for employment after their release.
“I was really impressed by how much research he put into it,” said Henry’s LHS paraprofessional Duane Cole. “And how he made it organized and easy to follow. He’s an excellent academic student.”
Henry will graduate from LHS with honors this spring.