The California water wars of the early twentieth century are summed up in a famous line from the 1974 film Chinatown: Either you bring the water to L.A., or you bring L.A. to the water. Nearly a hundred years have elapsed since the events the film dramatizes, but much of the West still approaches water the same way.
Can drought-stricken CA get water from Midwest via pipeline? The hypothetical Mississippi River pipeline, which gained new life last year amid devastating drought conditions, is a case in point. We have to conserve water, butnota ridiculous wave parkthat willprobably go bankrupt? The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. Every day, we hear about water conservation, restrictions. Who is going to come to the desert and use it? Asked what might be the requirements and constraints of a pipeline from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Gene Pawliksaid, Since (the Army Corps) has not done a formal study related to the use of pipelines to move water between watersheds, we cannot speculate on the details or cost of such projects.. My water, your water. These canals and pipelines are . The agency is moving forward with smallerprojects across the state to reduce seismic and hydrologic risks, like eliminating leaks or seepage, including at four existing dams and related spillways in Riverside and Los Angeles counties. Doug Ducey signed legislation this past July that invested $1.2 billion to fund projects that conserve water and bring more into the state.
Guess Who Proposed the Missouri River Pipeline in the Federal Conservation alternatives are less palatable than big infrastructure projects, but theyre also more achievable. 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. 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. When finished, the $62 billion project will link Chinas four main rivers and requiresconstruction of three lengthy diversion routes, one using as its basethe1,100-mile longHangzhou-to-Beijing canal, which dates from the 7th century AD. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. 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. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. All it does is cause flooding and massive tax expenditures to repair and strengthen dikes, wrote Siefkes.New Orleans has a problem with that much water anyway, so lets divert 250,000 gallons/secondto Lake Powell, which currently has a shortage of 5.5 trillion gallons. As zany as the ideas may sound, could anywork, and if so, what would be the costs? Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. In southeastern California,officials at the Imperial Irrigation District, which is entitled toby far the largest share of Colorado River water, say any move to strip theirrights would result in legal challenges that could last years. Wildfire, flooding concerns after massive snowfall in Arizona, Customers will have to ask for water at Nevada restaurants if bill passes, Snow causes semi truck to crash into Arizona DPS Trooper SUV near Williams, A showdown over Colorado River water is setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle, In Arizona and other western states, pressure to count water lost to evaporation, While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, Arizona state legislature passed a measure in 2021, RELATED: Phoenix city officials celebrate final pipe installation in the Drought Pipeline Project, the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken within the Colorado River Basin. 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.
That's a big pipe: Retired engineer suggests aqueduct from Mississippi 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. Other forms of augmentation, like desalination, are also gaining popularity on the national scene as possible options. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. I can't even imagine what it would all cost. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. Let's be really clear here. Pat Mulroy, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, pitched a bold idea at a US Chamber of Commerce event last week: divert excess Mississippi River water to the west to irrigate crops to reduce pressure on the stressed Colorado River. continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I have dystopian nightmares aboutpipelines marching across the landscape, saidglobal water scarcity expert Jay Famiglietti. The resulting fresh water would bepiped northto the thirsty state. And there are several approved diversions that draw water from the Great Lakes. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. It's the lowest level since the lake was filled in the. Many sawSiefkes' idea and others like it as sheer theft by a region that needs to fix its own woes. You should worry, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. Stories of similar projects often share the same ending, from proposals in Iowa and Minnesota to those between Canada and the United States. Million himself, though, is confident that his pipeline will get built, and that it will ensure Fort Collins future. The Mississippi used to flow through a delta full of bayous, shifting sad bars, And islets. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. The project would require more than 300 new dams,canals, pipelines, tunnels, and pumping stations, bans large waterexportsoutside of the area. She points to her earlyworkfor comparison. ", Westford of Southern California's Metropolitan Water District agreed. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. 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. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Experts say those will require sacrifices but not as many as building a giant pipeline would require. "Should we move the water to where the food is grown, or is it maybe time to think about moving the food production to the water?" About 60 percent of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity.
Is Getting Great Lakes Water To The Southwest Just A Pipedream The pipeline would help it tap another 86,000 acre-feet of . 2023 www.desertsun.com. The total projected cost of the plan in 1975 was $100 billion or nearly $570billion in today's dollars,comparable to theInterstate Highway System. "Arizona really, really wants oceanfront," she chuckled. He frames the pipeline as a complement to water-saving policies.
Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River - The New York Times The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, prodded by members of Congressfrom western states, studied the massive proposal. Paffrath proposed building a pipeline from the Mississippi River to bring water to drought-stricken California. Other forms of augmentation, like desalination, are also gaining popularity on the national scene as possible options. The Colorado River is drying up. Scientists estimate a football field's worth of Louisiana coast is lost every 60 to 90 minutes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. When that happens, it wont be just tourists and recreational boaters who will suffer.
Proposed interstate water pipelines to California - Wikipedia You could do it.". About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis. 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. Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible.
Petition End Floods in America by Creating a Pipeline Network to Haul icebergs from the Arctic to a new southern California port. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com This aerial photo of Davenport, Iowa, shows Mississippi River floodwaters in May 2019. Absolutely. 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.
Leading environmental engineering firm to study alternative water "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. Some plans call for a connection to. Hydrologic Unit Code 07110009. Yet some smaller-scale projects have become reality. All rights reserved. Tribes in the Colorado River Basin are fighting for their water. So moving water that far away to supplement the ColoradoRiver, I don't think is viable. The idea's been dismissed for as long as it's. By the way, none of this includes the incredible carbon footprints about to be stomped on the environment. "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 . A Mississippi pipeline to Lake Powell would need to cut across four states, he and Johnson said, including hundreds of miles of wetlands in Louisiana and west Texas. Ive cowboyed enough in my life to know that you just got to stick to the trail, he said.
Sharing Mississippi River water with California would feed America YouTube.
Flooding along the Mississippi River basin appears to have become more frequent in recent years, as has the [] In fact, she and others noted, many such ideas have been studied since the 1940s. Run a pipeline a few hundred miles to the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs CO which drains into Lake Powell and you are good to go. Fort, the University of New Mexico professor, worries that the bigwigs who throw their energy behind large capital projects may be neglecting other, more practical options. While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. And contrary to Siefkes' claims, experts said, the silty river flows provide sediment critical to shore up the rapidly disappearing Louisiana coast andbarrier islands chewed to bits by hurricanes and sea rise.