As apractical matter, Famiglietti, a Universityof Saskatchewan hydrology professor who tracks water basins worldwide via NASA satellite data, saidMississippi River states also experiencedry spells, and the watershed, the fourth largest in the world, also ebbs and flows. 2023 www.desertsun.com. Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. You tellgolf courses how much water they can use, but one of thelargest wave basins in the world is acceptable? He frames the pipeline as a complement to water-saving policies. 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 . Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream. The 800-mile system of pipelines, ditches and reservoirs would cost an estimated $23 billion and could provide 1 million acre-feet of water a year to Colorado. The basic idea is to take water from the Mississippi River, pump it a thousand miles west, and dump it into the overtaxed Colorado River, which provides water for millions of Arizona residents but has reached historically low levels as its reservoirs dry up. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. You could do it.". 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. On the heels of Arizonas 2021 push for a pipeline feasibility study, former Arizona Gov. Do they thank us for using our water? In fact, she and others noted, many such ideas have been studied since the 1940s. Plus, the federal report found the water would be of much lower quality than other western water sources. The pipeline will end in the Rocky Mountain National park. Experts we spoke with agreed the feat would be astronomical. The drought is so critical that this recent rainfall is a little like finding a $20 bill when youve lost your job and youre being evicted from your house, said Rhett Larson, an Arizona State University professor of water law. Follow us on As western states grew over the twentieth century, the federal government helped them build several massive water diversion projects that would hydrate their growing urban populations: The Central Arizona Project aqueduct brought water from the Colorado River to Phoenix, for instance, and the Big Thompson system piped water across the Colorado Rockies to Denver. Whereas I understand water rights, but globalwarming has introduced new priorities. 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. What goes into the cat-and-mouse game of forecasting Colorados avalanche risks? It was the Bureau of Reclamation. Politics are an even bigger obstacle for making multi-state pipelines a reality. 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. By George Skelton Capitol Journal Columnist Aug. 30, 2021 5 AM PT SACRAMENTO The award for dumbest idea of the recall election goes to the rookie Democrat who proposed building a water. YouTube star and Democratic political novice Kevin Paffrath proposed the Mississippi River pipeline last week during a debate among candidates seeking to replace Gov. Runa giant hose from the Columbia River along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to refill Diamond Valley Reservoir. Page Contact Information: Missouri Water Data Support Team Page Last Modified: 2023-03-04 08:46:14 EST . Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. Makes me wonder how this got this far, whose interests are being served and who's benefiting. Infrastructure is one of the few ways well turn things around to assure that theres some supply.. Butbig water infrastructure projects aren't just of interest to the general public. 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. Yes, it would be hugely expensive. 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. It is time to think outside the box of rain. Tina Peters convicted of government obstruction charge, acquitted of obstructing a police officer, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Answer (1 of 21): Interbasin transfer is something we try to avoid. Its much easier to [propose] a shining pipeline from the Mississippi River that will never be built than it is to grapple with this really unpleasant truth.. The snowbirds commonly stay here for at least six months. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. Pipeline sizes vary from the 2-inch- (5-centimetre-) diameter lines used in oil-well gathering systems to lines 30 feet (9 metres) across in high-volume water and sewage networks. Absolutely. It willtake liquid sewage, treat it, and either percolate it back into area groundwater, or, if California law is changed,pipe itto water tanks across the basin. That project, which also faces heavy headwinds from environmentalists, wouldcost an estimated $12 billion. Additionally, building large infrastructure projects in general has become more difficult, in part thanks to reforms like the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires that detailed environmental impact statements be produced and evaluated for large new infrastructure projects. Last time I heard, we are still the United States of America.". 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. When that happens, it wont be just tourists and recreational boaters who will suffer. The idea is as old and dusty as the desert Southwest: Pipe abundant Great Lakes water to parched cities out West, such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. Opinion: How has American healthcare gone so wrong? About 60% of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. 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. A pipeline to the Mississippi River Perhaps the biggest achievement Paffrath said he would accomplish if elected governor would be to solve California's water crisis by building a. In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. 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. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. The federal Water Conservation Bureau gave approval Tuesday to piping 440 billion gallons of water per month to Arizona. And biologists andenvironmental attorneys saidNew Orleans and the Louisiana coast, along with the interior swamplands, need every drop of muddy Mississippi water. The river's web, if some have their way, could become even larger. As a resident of Wisconsin, a state that borders the (Mississippi) river, let me say: This is never gonna happen, wrote Margaret Melville of Cedarburg, Wisconsin. If you dont have enough of it, go find more. Here are some facts to put perspective to several of the. Nonetheless, Siefkes trans-basin pipeline proposal went viral, receiving nearly half a million views. 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. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. Las Vegas' grand proposal is to take water from the mighty Mississippi in a series of smaller pipeline-like exchanges among states just west of the Mississippi to refill the overused. The water will drain into the headwaters of the Colorado river. The pipeline would provide the Colorado River basin with 600,000 acre-feet of water annually, which could serve roughly a million single-family homes. Lower Mississippi River flow means less sediment carried down to Louisiana, where it's used for coastal restoration. The project would have to secure dozens of state and federal permits and clear an enormous federal environmental review; moving the water would also require the construction of several hundred megawatts of power generation. Still, he admits the road hasnt always been easy, and that victory is far from guaranteed. A multi-state pipeline could easily require decades before it delivers a drop of water," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher with the Pacific Institute. pipeline, line of pipe equipped with pumps and valves and other control devices for moving liquids, gases, and slurries (fine particles suspended in liquid). "Mexico has said it didn't although there has been a recent change ingovernment.". Famiglietti saidit's time for a national water policy, not to figure out where to lay down hundreds of pipesbut to look comprehensively at the intertwining of agriculture and the lion's share ofwater it uses. A Canadian entrepreneur's plan published in 1991 diverted water from eastern British Columbia to the Columbia River, then envisioned a 300-mile pipeline from the river through Oregon to a reservoir near Alturas, California. after the growth in California . The idea of drinking even heavily treated liquid wastemay seem unpalatable, but Westfordthinks people will adapt. Would itbe expensive? I think it would be foolhardy to dismiss it as not feasible, said Richard Rood, professor of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan. An additional analysis emerged a decade later when Roger Viadero, an environmental scientist and engineer at Western Illinois University, and his graduate students assessed proposals suggested in last summers viral editorials. Most recently, the Arizona state legislature passed a measure in 2021 urging Congress to investigate pumping flood water from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River to bolster its flow. What if our droughts get worse? Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. 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. Lower Mississippi River flow means less sediment carried down to Louisiana, where its used for coastal restoration. Martinez, an engineer who oversaw the construction of pipelines in the Sierra Nevada for Southern California Edison, agrees a 1,500-mile pipeline from the Mississippicould physically be built. At one point, activists who opposed the project erected three large billboards warning about the high cost and potential consequences, such as the possibility that drawing down the Green River could harm the rivers fish populations. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. Power from its hydroelectric dams would boost U.S. electricity supplies. But water expertssaid it would likely take at least 30 years to clear legal hurdles to such a plan. Yet some smaller-scale projects have become reality. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? The Mississippi used to flow through a delta full of bayous, shifting sad bars, And islets. Moreover, we need water in our dams for. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis. Savor that while your lawns are dying. The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. The hypothetical Mississippi River pipeline, which gained new life last year amid devastating drought conditions, is a case in point. Heres how that affects Indigenous water rights, Salton Sea public health disaster gets a $250 million shot in the arm.
Woodford County Football Score,
Articles W