Chapter 4
Risk Registers and Open Doors
Mayor Reed convenes an emergency review session at city hall, bringing together Thorne, Hanson, council members, and local media to scrutinize the passive desalination pilot. Thorne and Hanson present technical details, risk registers, and live demonstration data. Questions emerge about long-term maintenance, unforeseen contaminants, and worker impacts. Tensions rise as both public perception and regulatory demands grow, but the clarity of test results and the system’s transparency win cautious support. The chapter ends with the council scheduling site visits and demanding further data before any citywide rollout, leaving the team on the cusp of broader acceptance but facing critical next steps.
The city hall conference room filled steadily—council members sorting their notes, reporters angling for the best camera sightlines, and a cluster of municipal engineers whispering near the windows. Mayor Evelyn Reed entered last, her composure unflappable, risk register neatly tabbed among her documents. She signaled the proceedings open: “Our agenda is single-issue. Dr. Thorne, Ms. Hanson, you have the floor.”
Lena Hanson advanced first, projecting a live feed from the test basin. “As of this hour, the module has processed 27,400 liters of source water with zero membrane fouling. Output meets all city potable standards. All key data is being logged in real time and mirrored to the council’s secure dashboard.” She handed Mayor Reed a concise risk register—threats ranked, mitigations listed, red flags highlighted in yellow. “Contaminant spectrum testing is underway. We’re seeing the lattice reject not just salt, but algae and trace organics. Our fallback: maintain the legacy system in full parallel for redundancy.”
A council member, voice edged with skepticism, asked, “What about microplastics? Last year’s pilot in River Glen failed because nanoplastics slipped through.”
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