WATER IS LIFE
By: Kassie Robbins
My Water Story
My name is Kassie Robbins, I am 37 years old. My life has been filled with water adventures from a young age, particularly river adventures. My mother and father met in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah in some round about way this meeting and their eventual marriage has led to my love of rivers and river rafting.
Parents
My mother was born in the heart of the river loving community of Vernal, Utah. She grew up in the Vernal with the Hatch Family. Her family rafted through the canyons close by. Her older brother Lory guided for Western River Expeditions for a couple summers. My father was thrown on a 28-foot pontoon boat and learned to row by fire on the Gates of Lodore with his new family.
My dad grew up in Ogden, Utah and is a rock guy. He studied geophysics in school. This landed him a job working with some cool folks, one of those being Robert Tubbs. Robert and my father both decided to buy brand new orange Rogue bucket boats in the early 80’s. It was an easy sell for both my parents. Afterwards, my dad took his first trip down the Grand Canyon. He was enamored by the gorgeous geology and became highly fascinated by the corridors of rivers throughout the world.
Childhood
Fast forward to my parent’s union with the new raft and young family we were towed along for the ride. My first river trip was at the age of 3 still wearing diapers. My parents were troopers with 4 kids ranging from 9 to infant. My life has been nothing short of an adventure full of rivers and excitement. My soul was called to the rivers.
I feel so blessed to have had the experience of riding the waves of the Colorado River System. I have had an opportunity to love nature in a very personal way. My soul was drawn in and at 16 years old my dream of becoming a river guide was created after seeing a guided river trip on the Green River in Whirlpool Canyon. The boats were lined up at Jones Hole river camp 1. It was Don Hatch River Expeditions. I thought to myself I want to do that for a job. It has since been one of my greatest legacies I get to carry on to my children.
River Guide
At 19 years old, I drove my little orange CJ7 Jeep to Moab, Utah in the summer of 2003 with hopes of figuring out housing or not and beginning my life as a guide. I had no plan other than working at Adrift Adventures and hoping to see as much river time as possible.
For two summers I ran through Westwater Canyon, Desolation-Gray Canyon, and Cataract Canyon, as well as the Moab Daily Section. This is where I wanted to be! This was the life! I was boating, listening to good music, eating good food, and meeting some cool people.
This opportunity helped me to understand the water issue and the drought of the desert and water scarcity and limitations. I remember more seasoned guides talking about the low water we were experiencing and wondering what that meant to me and what I could do. I figured that I needed to learn more.
At one point I was running through Cataract Canyon and the walls of sediment we were traversing through were once under Lake Powell. These embankments were being cut through with real time erosion as the river was making its way down the canyon. The embankments were sediment deposits from the drying up low lake levels. This was the first time I had seen this problem in real life. The river was not putting in as much as we were using out of the Glen Canyon Dam. It has only gotten worse since 2004.
Water and Utah
Water shapes Utah and the geologic uplift creates the perfect opportunity for mountains and plateaus to be eroded. I have spent the last 14 years guiding and personally rafting in Dinosaur National Monument. I have worked with various companies and have found my home with Dinosaur River Expeditions.
During this time, I have learned about the dams and the good and bad those bring. Dams generate power and supply cities with drinking water, grow our food and factories make goods all while overuse and pollution of water by the same ones receiving it. 20% of the world’s electric power is generated by dams.
I also wouldn’t have a job that gives me the most amazing office-space for the whole summer season without a dam. It also breaks my heart to know we have covered so many amazing things, from ancient Indian dwellings and burials to beautiful canyons never to be explored in its natural state again, to collect water in these reservoirs.
We can learn from our past and try to move forward being aware of the future Water needs. Water conservation is a topic that many want to skirt around because of the political ramifications that come with it. Water shortages are real and happening right before our eyes. Utah is in the desert. Less than half of Utah’s small amount 13 inches of annual precipitation falls as rain.
“There are two ways to die in the desert – thirst and drowning.”
-Craig Childs – Author
In Utah, 82% of water goes to crops for agriculture and livestock, 8% to commercial use, 6% to residential outdoor use, and 4% to indoor residential use. This means most of the water in Utah is for farming. The first step in gaining understanding is finding a way to become aware of the water issues. Then you can make good decisions on what you can do in your corner. Utah is not the only place dealing with water issues and what to do.
What Can We do?
If you are in Vernal, Utah before July 31, 2021, take a trip to the Uintah County Heritage Museum and go check out the FREE H20 Today Exhibit on loan from the Smithsonian. There is a lot of great information where you can learn how water is tied into almost everything we do. Did you know it takes 600 gallons of water to make 1 pound of cheese?
I love highwater as a river runner for a couple reasons, one of those being big fun splashy rapids, and another because I know we have more water coming into the reservoirs because we are running on low low low levels for the needs of our growing populations and communities. Let’s do our part and become educated and do our part to help conserve.
My soul is at peace when I am on the river. What kind of water story are you living and how has it influenced your life?
