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. Follow us on At comment sessions on Colorado's plan, he said, long-distance pipelines wereconstantly suggested by the public. Pipe water from the plentiful Great Lakes to deserted towns in the West like Phoenix and Las Vegas. Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. Opinion: How has American healthcare gone so wrong? 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. 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. People need to focus on their realistic solutions.. Experts say theres a proverbial snowballs chance in August of most of theseschemes being implemented. Vessels ran aground and had to navigate very carefully. The 2012 study didn't discount either option but. She can be reached at jwilson@gannett.com or @janetwilson66 on Twitter. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. A 45-mile, $16 billion tunnel that would mark California's largest water project in nearly 50 years took a step closer to reality this week, with Gov. 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. Inspired by Mao Zedong, who in 1952 observed, "The south has plenty of water and the north lacks it, so if possible why not borrow some?" 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. Twitter, Follow us on Other legal constraints include the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Protection Act and variousstate environmental laws, said Brent Newman, senior policy director for the National Audubon Society's Delta state programs. Arizona and Nevada residents must curb their use of water from the Colorado River, and California could be next. They includegawky pink roseate spoonbills, tiny bright yellow warblers, known as swamp candles because of their bright glow in the humid, green woods, and more. . But in the face of continuing, ever-worsening drought and ongoing growth of the cities of the desert Southwest, is there a better idea out there? Historian Ted Steinberg said itsummed up "the sheer arrogance and imperial ambitions of the modern hydraulic West.". Clouds of birds hundreds of species live in or travel through Louisianas rich Atchafalaya forests each year, said National Audubon Society Delta Conservation Director Erik Johnson. Buying land to secure water rights would cost a chunk of cash, too, which leads to an even larger obstacle for such proposals: the legal and political hoops. 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. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream. 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. Pipelines usually consist of sections of pipe made of . Your support keeps our unbiased, nonprofit news free. For as long as this idea has been proposed. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), FILE - Dredge Jadwin, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredging vessel, powers south down the Mississippi River Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, past Commerce, Mo. Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible. A multi-state pipeline could easily require decades before it delivers a drop of water," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher with the Pacific Institute. The two reasons: 1) the process of moving water that far, and that high, wouldn't make economic sense; 2) Great Lakes water is locked down politically. Who is going to come to the desert and use it? About 60% of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. Facebook, Follow us on Take that, Lake Mead. 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. The project would require more than 300 new dams,canals, pipelines, tunnels, and pumping stations. Arizona's legislature allocated$1 billion in its last session for water augmentation projectslikea possible desalination plant, and state officials are in discussions with Mexican officials about the idea, saidBuschatzke. While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. But interest spans deeper than that. He said wastewater reuse by area agencies has already swelled from 0.20% in the 1980sto 12% of regional water supply. Tribes in the Colorado River Basin are fighting for their water. But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. 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. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. 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. Mississippi River drought will impact your grocery bill. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. 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. Specifically, start with a line from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River at Lake Powell, where a seven-state compact divvies up the water. Available data for this site Madison County, Illinois. 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. She said extensive public education, aided by federal mandates and financial incentives, eventually led toa wholesale transition that saves millions of gallons of water. The federal Water Conservation Bureau gave approval Tuesday to piping 440 billion gallons of water per month to Arizona. . 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. The bigger obstacles are fiscal, legal, environmentaland most of all, political. Heproposed usingnuclear explosionsto excavate the system's trenches and underground water storage reservoirs. Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. 2023 www.desertsun.com. Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but would require decades of construction and billions of dollars. Donate today to keep our climate news free. Reader support helps sustain our work. From winter lettuce in grocery stores to the golf courses of the Sun Belt, the Wests explosive growth over the past century rests on aqueducts, canals and drainage systems. WATER WILL SOON be flowing from Lake Superior to the parched American Southwest. If a portion of the farmers in the region were to change crops or fallow their fields, the freed-up water could sustain growing cities. Drainage area 171,500 square miles . The elephant in the room, according to Fort, is agriculture, which accounts for more than 80 percent of water withdrawals from the Colorado River. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. Still, its physically possible. 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. 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. Newsom said the state must capture 100 million metric tons of carbon each year by 2045 about a quarter of what the state now emits annually. Moreover, we need water in our dams for. For him, thatincludessetting aside at leastportions of the so-called "Law of the River," a complicated, century-old set of legal agreements that guarantees farmers in Southern California the largest share of water. Fueled by Google and other search engines, more than 3.2 millionpeople have read the letters, an unprecedented number for the regional publication's opinion content. It might be in the trillions, but it probably does exist.. 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. Even smaller projects stand to be derailed by similar hiccups. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. 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. LAS VEGAS -- Lake Mead has nearly set a new record when its water level measured at 1081.10 feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesnt always have enough water to spare. The Arizona state legislature allocated seed money toward a study of a thousand-mile pipeline that would do exactly this last year, and the states top water official says hes spoken to officials in Kansas about participating in the project. Page Contact Information: Missouri Water Data Support Team Page Last Modified: 2023-03-04 08:46:14 EST . Has no one noticed how much hotter the desert is getting, not to mention the increase in fires in our area. Instagram, Follow us on As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. Developed in 1964 by engineer Ralph Parsons and his Pasadena-basedParsons Corporation,the plan would provide 75million acre-feet of water to arid areas inCanada, the United States and Mexico. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. 10/4/2021. Latitude 3853'06", Longitude 9010'51" NAD27. Experts say those will require sacrifices but not as many as building a giant pipeline would require. The memorial is seeking Mississippi River water as a solution to ongoing shortages on the Colorado River as water levels reach historic lows in the two largest reservoirs on the river, Lake Powell and Lake Mead. 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. Savor that while your lawns are dying. All rights reserved. Infrastructure is one of the few ways well turn things around to assure that theres some supply.. But, he said, the days of mega-pipelines in the U.S. are likely over due to lack of environmental and political will. States wish they wouldnt. 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. In the 20 years since he first had the idea, Million has suffered a string of regulatory and legal defeats at the hands of state and federal agencies, becoming a kind of bogeyman for conservationists in the process. As recently as 2021, the Arizona state legislature urged Congress to fund a technological and feasibility study of a diversion dam and pipeline scheme to harvest floodwater from the Mississippi River to replenish the Colorado River. The ongoing drought in California has hit its fourth year. Thats not to mention the housing development again, for the very wealthy with its own lagoon. About 60 percent of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. One proposed solution to the Colorado River Basin's water scarcity crisis has come up again and again: large-scale river diversions, including pumping Mississippi River water to the parched West . To the editor: With the threat of brownouts and over-stressed power grids, dwindling water resources in California and the call to reduce consumption by 15%, I want to point out we are not all in this together. Don't bother sending notices on conservation; they willbe ignored. Each edition is filled with exclusive news, analysis and other behind-the-scenes information you wont find anywhere else. Why are they so hard to catch? 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. 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. I have dystopian nightmares aboutpipelines marching across the landscape, saidglobal water scarcity expert Jay Famiglietti. Noting about 4.5 million gallons per second of Mississippi River flow past the Old River Control Structure in Louisiana, the letter writer explains diverting 250,000 gallons per second would. after the growth in California . Proponents of these projects argue that they could stabilize western cities for decades to come, connecting populations with unclaimed water rights. Above, the droughts effects can be seen at a marina on June 29. 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. Mulroy was the keynote speaker at the convention, held at Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, which is one of several that comprises the Chamber of Commerce's . Water from these and other large rivers pour. These realities havent stopped the Wests would-be water barons from dreaming. Other forms of augmentation, like desalination, are also gaining popularity on the national scene as possible options. It dawned on Million that Colorado had unclaimed rights to water from the Green, since the river was part of the Colorado River system, and he devised a plan to build a pipeline that would pump water around the Rockies to the city of Fort Collins, where he lives. (Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis, July 11). Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. But the idea hasnever completely died. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. he said. "Sometimes there is a propensity in areas like Louisiana or the Southwest, where we've had such success in our engineering marvels, to engineer our way out of everything," Newman said. Large amounts of fossil fuelenergy neededto pump water over the Rockies would increase the very climate change thats exacerbating the 1,200-year drought afflicting the Colorado River in the first place, said Newman, who in his previous job helped the state of Colorado design a long-term water conservation plan. ", But desert defenders pushed back. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. Snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains have swelled to more than 200% their normal size, and snowfall across the rest of the Colorado River Basin is trending above average, too. Facebook, Follow us on Viaderos team estimated that the sale of the water needed to fill the Colorado Rivers Lake Powell and Lake Mead the largest reservoirs in the country would cost more than $134 billion at a penny a gallon. But if areas like the Coachella Valley continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, "we're screwed," he said bluntly. Janet Wilson is senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun, and co-authors USA Today'sClimate Point newsletter. Last updated on: February 10, 2023, 10:54h. The massive river, with tributaries from Montanato Ohio, is a national artery for shipping goodsout to sea. Lower Mississippi River flow means less sediment carried down to Louisiana, where its used for coastal restoration. 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. The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. Here are some facts to put perspective to several of the. This would take 254 days to fill.. "We do not expect to see (carbon capture and storage) happen at a large scale unless we are able to address that pipeline issue," said Rajinder Sahota, deputy executive officer for climate change . We have to conserve water, butnota ridiculous wave parkthat willprobably go bankrupt? The Nevada Legislature is considering a bill that, if passed, would require restaurants to only provide water upon customer request. This story is a product of theMississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an editorially independent reporting network based at the University ofMissouri School of Journalismin partnership withReport For Americaand theSociety of Environmental Journalists, funded by the Walton Family Foundation. 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. What states in the Southwest have failed to do is curtail growth and agriculture that is, of course, water-driven. The pipeline would help it tap another 86,000 acre-feet of . 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. Known as one of the greenest commercial buildings in the world, since it opened its doors on Earth Day in 2013 the Bullitt Center has been setting a new standard for sustainable design. Their technical report, which hasnt been peer-reviewed. Yet some smaller-scale projects have become reality. They also concluded environmental and permitting reviews would take decades. So what are the solutions to the arid West's dilemma, as climate change heats up and California's State Water Project, along with Lake Mead and Lake Powell, shrivels due to reduced snowmelt and rainfall? Environmental writerMarc Reisner said the plan was one of "brutal magnificence" and "unprecedented destructiveness." Here in the scorching Coachella Valley, local governments have approved construction of four surf resorts for the very wealthy. 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. Just pump water a few miles from the Mississippi near Des Moines into the Ogallala aquifer. 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, a professor of water law at Arizona State University. Similar ideas have been suggested about Great Lakes water. China, unlike the US, is unencumbered by NEPA, water rights and democratic processes in general. The . The trooper inside suffered minor injuries. Siphon off a big portion, and youd be swapping oneecological catastrophe for another, said Audubons Johnson. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Waves of torrential rainfall drenched California into the new year. "Arizona really, really wants oceanfront," she chuckled. 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. Arizona lawmakers want to build a pipeline from the Mississippi River more than a thousand miles away, a Colorado rancher wants to pipe water 300 miles across the Rockies, and Utah wants to pump even more water out of the already-depleted Lake Powell. The largest eastern river, the Mississippi, has about 30 times the average annual flow of the Colorado, and the Columbia has close to 10 times. So come on out for the plastic Marilyn on our dashboard, and stay for the stupendous waste of water, electricity and clean air. But interest spans deeper than that. But water expertssaid it would likely take at least 30 years to clear legal hurdles to such a plan. 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. But grand ideas for guaranteeing water for the arid Westhave beenfloated for decades. Even at its cheapest, the project would cost about twice as much per acre-foot of water delivered than other solutions like water conservation and reuse. A water pipeline like Millions would help, if he could wave a magic wand and build it, but Fort believes the present scramble over the Colorado River will likely make such projects impossible to realize. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. All rights reserved. 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. Why it's a longshot: First, to get across the Continental Divide and into the Colorado River, you'd need an uphill pipeline about 1,000 miles long, which is longer than any other drinking water .

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