Runa giant hose from the Columbia River along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to refill Diamond Valley Reservoir. Yes, it would be hugely expensive. The distance between Albuquerque, for example, and the Mississippi River perhaps the closest hypothetical starting point for such a pipeline is about 1,000 miles, crossing at least three. All rights reserved. A multi-state compact already prohibits any sale of water from the Great Lakes unless all bordering states agree to it, and its almost certain that Mississippi River states would pass laws restricting water diversions, or file lawsuits against western states, if the project went forward. So come on out for the plastic Marilyn on our dashboard, and stay for the stupendous waste of water, electricity and clean air. If officials approve this, the backlash willresult in everyone using as much water as wecare to. Asked about a Mississippi River pipeline or other new infrastructure to rescue the Colorado River, federal and state officials declined to respondor said there was no realistic chance such a major infrastructure project is in the offing. I think the feasibility study is likely to tell us what we already know, he said, which is that there are a lot less expensive, less complicated options that we can be investing in right now, like reducing water use. He raised the possibility that policymakers will seek to build a 900-mile pipeline from Lake Superior to the Green River watershed in southwest Wyoming. In their technical report, which hasnt been peer-reviewed, they calculated that a pipe for moving this scale of water would need to be 88 feet in diameter around twice the length of a semi trailer or a 100-foot-wide channel thats 61 feet deep. and planned for completion in 2050, it willdivert 44.8 billion cubic metersof water annually to major cities and agricultural and industrial centers in the parchednorth. 00:00 00:00 An unknown error. In 2012, the U.S. Department of the Interiors Bureau of Reclamation completed the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken within the Colorado River Basin at the time, which analyzed solutions to water supply issues including importing water from the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Makes me wonder how this got this far, whose interests are being served and who's benefiting. There are no easy fixes to a West that has grown and has allocated all of its water theres no silver bullet, she said. That project, which also faces heavy headwinds from environmentalists, wouldcost an estimated $12 billion. Millions in the Southwest will literally be left in the dark and blistering heat when theres no longer enough water behind the dam to power the giant electricity-producing turbines. Doug Ducey signed legislation this past July that invested $1.2 billion to fund projects that conserve water and bring more into the state. Experts say theres a proverbial snowballs chance in August of most of theseschemes being implemented. Yet their persistence in the public sphere illustrates the growing desperation of Western states to dig themselves out of droughts. At comment sessions on Colorado's plan, he said, long-distance pipelines wereconstantly suggested by the public. Another businessman in New Mexico has pushed plans to pump river water 150 miles to the city of Santa Fe, but that water would have to be pumped uphill. Arizona and Nevada residents must curb their use of water from the Colorado River, and California could be next. pipeline, line of pipe equipped with pumps and valves and other control devices for moving liquids, gases, and slurries (fine particles suspended in liquid). after the growth in California . But it's doable. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. The Southern Delivery System in the nearby Arkansas River Basin pipes water from Pueblo County more than 60 miles north to Colorado Springs, Fountain and Security. The resulting fresh water would bepiped northto the thirsty state. It is time to think outside the box of rain. Just pump water a few miles from the Mississippi near Des Moines into the Ogallala aquifer. Politics are an even bigger obstacle to making multi-state pipelines a reality. Kaufman is the general manager of Leavenworth Water, which serves 50,000 people in a town that welcomed Lewis and Clark in 1804 during the duo's westward exploration. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson), Lawmakers targeting hospital facility fees, Whats Working: How a Denver nonprofit is expanding the benefits of work. Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona must be pumped about 6,000 feet up, over the Rockies. Yet some smaller-scale projects have become reality. Some plans call for a connection to. The river's web, if some have their way, could become even larger. In fact, she and others noted, many such ideas have been studied since the 1940s. All rights reserved. Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. States have [historically] been very successful in getting the federal government to pay for wasteful, unsustainable, large water projects, said Denise Fort, a professor emerita at the University of New Mexico who has studied water infrastructure. The federal Bureau of Reclamation has already looked at piping 600,000 acre-feet of water a year from either the Missouri or the Mississippi. Their technical report, which hasnt been peer-reviewed, calculated that a pipe for moving this scale of water would need to be 88 feet in diameter around twice the length of a semi-trailer or a 100-foot-wide channel thats 61 feet deep. We've had relatively rich resources for so long,we've never really had to deal withthis before, andwe don't want to change.". My state, your state. The other alternatives have political costs, and they have costs that are maybe more likely to be borne locally, including by farmers and other large water users, she said. For instance, a Kansas groundwater management agency received a permit last year to truck 6,000 gallons of Missouri River water into Kansas and Colorado in hopes of recharging an aquifer. . To the editor: The states near the Gulf of Mexico are often flooded with too much water, while the Southwest is suffering a long-term drought. Each state along the Colorado River basin had the rights to a certain quantity of river water, divided among major users like farms and cities, and the projects were designed to help the states realize those abstract rights. Buying land to secure water rights would also cost a chunk of cash, which leads to an even larger obstacle for such proposals: the legal and political hoops. It boggles the mind. She and others worked to persuade reluctant consumers, builders and policymakers to ditchwidely usedsix-gallon flush toilets in favor of perfectly effective two-gallon versions. People need to focus on their realistic solutions.. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible. . Experts we spoke with agreed the feat would be astronomical. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesnt always have enough water to spare. Improved simulations of streamflow and base flow for selected sites within and adjacent to the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain area are important for modeling groundwater flow because surface-water flows have a substantial effect on groundwater levels. Certainly not the surrounding communities. Million told Grist that hes secured partial funding for the project from multiple banks and the infrastructure company MasTec, but it remains unclear how much he would have to charge to make the project profitable. Ultimately the rising environmental movement squelched it the project woulddestroyvast wildlife habitats in Canada and the American West,submergewild rivers in Idaho and Montana,and requirethe relocation of hundreds of thousands of people. The idea's been dismissed for as long as it's. It would cost at least $1,700 per acre-feet of water, potentially yield 600,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2060 and take 30 years to construct. Ive cowboyed enough in my life to know that you just got to stick to the trail, he said. John Kaufman, the man who proposed the Missouri River pipeline, wants to see the artificial boundaries expand. Its possible that the situation gets so dire that there is an amount of money out there that could overcome all of these obstacles, Larson said. Janet Wilson is senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun, and co-authors USA Today'sClimate Point newsletter. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. Most recently, in 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation produced a report laying out a potentially grim future for the Colorado River, and had experts evaluate 14 big ideas commonly touted as potential solutions. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis. Historian Ted Steinberg said itsummed up "the sheer arrogance and imperial ambitions of the modern hydraulic West.". While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. But water expertssaid it would likely take at least 30 years to clear legal hurdles to such a plan. The main pipeline would span about 1,000 miles from Jackson, Miss., along the southern borders of Colorado and Utah to Lake Powell, at an elevation of about 3,700 feet. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream. Vessels ran aground and had to navigate very carefully. It would carry about 50,000 acre-feet of water per year, much less than the original pipeline plan but still twice Fort Collins current annual usage. "Nebraska wants to build a canal to pull water from the SouthPlatte River in Colorado, and downstream, Colorado wants to take water from the Missouri River and pull it back across Nebraska. The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. "I started withtoilets, I was the toilet queen of L.A.," said Westford. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. Gavin Newsom also touted desalination in adrought resilience plan he announcedlast week, though in brackish inland areas. John Neely ofPalm Desert responded: "All of these river cities who refuse to give us their water can stop snowbirding to the desert to use our water. Instead, California is focused on better managing the water we have, improving forecasting, and making our groundwater basins more sustainable.. Formal large-scale water importation proposals have existed in the United States since at least the 1960s, when an American company devised the North American Water and Power Alliance to redistribute Alaskan water across the continent using reservoirs and canals. Much of the sediment it was carrying was dropped in the slow moving water of the Delta. As politicians across the West confront the consequences of the climate-fueled Millennium Drought, many of them are heeding the words of Chinatown and trying to bring in outside water through massive capital projects. Local hurdles include endangered species protections, wetlands protections, drinking water supply considerations and interstate shipping protections. Physically, some could be achieved. Pipelines usually consist of sections of pipe made of . Well, kind of, Letters to the Editor: Shasta County dumps Dominion voting machines at its own peril, Editorial: Bay Area making climate change history by phasing out sales of gas furnaces and water heaters, Column: Mike Lindell is helping a California county dump voting machines. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. When that happens, it wont be just tourists and recreational boaters who will suffer. Plus, the federal report found the water would be of much lower quality than other western water sources. ", But desert defenders pushed back. Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. By the way, none of this includes the incredible carbon footprints about to be stomped on the environment. The elephant in the room, according to Fort, is agriculture, which accounts for more than 80 percent of water withdrawals from the Colorado River. This One thousand mile long pipeline could move water from the Eastern USA (Great Lakes, Ohio River, Missouri River, and Mississippi River) to the Colorado River via the Mississippi River. He said a major wastewater reuse project that MWD plans to implement by 2032 could ultimately yield up 150 million gallons of potable water a day from treated waste. As the largest single contractor of the SWP and a major supporter of Southern California water conservation and recycling programs, Metropolitan seeks feasible alternatives to convey Colorado River Aqueduct supplies or Diamond Valley Lake storage from the eastern portion of its service area or purified water from Pure Water Southern California . I can't even imagine what it would all cost. The Colorado River is drying up. Here are some facts to put perspective to severalof the opinions already expressed here: An aqueduct running from thelower Mississippi to the Colorado River (via the San Juan River tributary, at Farmington, New Mexico), with the same capacity as the California Aqueduct, would roughly double the flow of thelatter while taking merely 1-3% of the formers flow. An in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet to Larsons knowledge. And there are several approved diversions that draw water from the Great Lakes. And biologists andenvironmental attorneys saidNew Orleans and the Louisiana coast, along with the interior swamplands, need every drop of muddy Mississippi water. and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake . "We're going to start to see these reservoirs, which nine of them are already filled from the rain water, so then you add on snow melt and we may have some problems with that as far as flooding . Facebook, Follow us on Such major infrastructure is an absolute necessity, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, who said he represents the governor on all things Colorado River.. The list of projects that run on similarly magical thinking goes on: Utah wants to build a pipeline of its own from Lake Powell to the fast-growing city of St. George, but Lake Powell has almost no water left. It would cost at least $1,700 per acre-feet of water, potentially yield 600,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2060 and take 30 years to construct. A federal report from a decade ago pegged an optimistic cost estimate for a similar pipeline at $14 billion and said the project would take 30 years to build; a Colorado rancher who championed the idea around the same time, meanwhile, estimated its costs at $23 billion. You couldbuild a pipeline from the Mississippi or Missouri Rivers. The state also set aside funds in 2018 to study possible imports from the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers, but to date, the study hasnt been done, he said. Safety concerns increased in 2020 after a pipeline in Mississippi ruptured in a landslide, releasing a heavier-than-air plume of carbon dioxide that displaced oxygen near the ground. All three officials said the construction of a45-mile Delta Water Project tunnel to keep supply flowing from the middle of the state to thirsty cities in the south isvital. Infrastructure is one of the few ways well turn things around to assure that theres some supply.. In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. Arizona, which holds "junior"rights to Colorado River water, meaning it has already been forced to make cuts and might be legally required to make far larger reductions, wants to build a bi-national desalination plant at the Sea of Cortez, which separates Baja California from the Mexican mainland. In northwestern Iowa, a river has repeatedly been pumped dry by a rural water utility that sells at least a quarter of the water outside the state. A retired engineer suggested a rather outlandish-in-scope but logical-in-approach solution to the seemingly growing floods in the central U.S. and the water woes of the West Coast - build a nearly 1,500-mile aqueduct to connect the two. Steps are being taken to address water issues in Buckeye. No. For one, theres no longer enough unclaimed water to make most pipeline projects cost-effective. The Great Lakes Compact, signed by President George W. Bush in 2008,bans large waterexportsoutside of the areawithout the approval of all eight states bordering them andinput fromOntario and Quebec. From The Pueblo Chieftain (Chris Woodka): Hausler's idea is to bring water from the Mississippi just below its confluence with the Ohio River across Missouri and Kansas into Colorado. Reader support helps sustain our work. The water pipelines from the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa connecting to the headwaters of the Colorado River at the Rocky Mountain National Park. The project entails the construction of thousands of miles of pipelines and canals, 427 water treatment facilities, countless pumping facilities, and the displacement of 300,000 residents. Thats not to mention the housing development again, for the very wealthy with its own lagoon. These realities havent stopped the Wests would-be water barons from dreaming. Posted on: February 7, 2023, 02:30h. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? People fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta's Elk Slough near Courtland, California, on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Here are some facts to put perspective to several of the. "My son will never know what a six-gallon toilet looks like," she said. Despite the recent defeat of a major plant in Huntington Beach, after the California Coastal Commission said it was too environmentally damaging, "ocean desalination can't be off the table," said Coffey.
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