In the early 2000s, climate change began to gain more prevalence as an incredibly vital issue to the future of humanity.  Regardless of the amount of studies or evidence being published on the dangers of climate change to the environment and the dangers that it makes for OURSELVES, the vast majority of the population remained personally unaffected, so they felt no need to work to solve the problem.

In 2015, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration published an interactive map showing the possible amounts of sea level rise and the places that it would affect the most. The study estimated around a foot of sea level rise by 2050, and the max level their map accounted for was 10 feet. It is now 2273 and the newest data shows around 25 feet of sea level rise in total. As the sea level rises, the salt water flows into the fresh groundwater sources on land. Saltwater intrusion has long since contaminated fresh water in every coastal city that existed and as of the past 50 years made its way into the Erie canal, which is responsible for over half of New York's freshwater resources. Safe drinking water is incredibly hard to find for the still-increasing human population. Plants, trees, and crops all over the state are dying due to a lack of suitable freshwater. The green fields and clear skies of 250 years ago have been replaced by dry brown grass, and an ever-present haze covering the sun.

Most people in New York now rely on various pump houses placed along different locks on the Erie Canal to purify their water. The first pump house in this line was built along Lock E-18 in 2025 with the intention of not only making fresh drinking water more accessible, but also dedicating a separate nearby building to education on the topic of clean water and why it is so important. This pump house also features a pool for excess freshwater surrounded by paths and vegetation appealing to people through the beauty of nature. 

At first, many thought the pump house to be unnecessary. A small group of structures not particularly close to any city or even a main road, using substantial amounts of energy to purify water that was not particularly needed at the time.

But as the sea water levels continued to rise throughout the years, more and more people began to see the function, and critical importance of the building as freshwater supplies dwindled. Since this first pump house, 11 others have been added along different locks, all working to increase freshwater used for consumption, irrigation, and sanitation. 

Recently, the most encouraging aspect of the pump houses is the noticeable change in scenery immediately surrounding the collecting pool. Trees are growing again offering nice shade, as well as cleaning the air. Flowers and other vegetation has begun to grow again too, bringing a very welcoming change from the dead grasses flooded with salt water. And as people are coming by for their weekly supply of freshwater, they will just sit and enjoy nature as it begins to once again look like it did when this pump house was first built.