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. The resulting fresh water would bepiped northto the thirsty state. Why are they so hard to catch? Follow us on To be talking about pipe dreams, when thats not even feasible for decades, if at all Its a disservice, Scanlan said. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. 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. 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. While they didnt outright reject the concepts, the experts laid out multi-billion-dollar price tags, including ever-higher fuel and power costs to pump water up mountains or over other geographic obstacles. Heres why thats wise, Nicholas Goldberg: How I became a tool of Chinas giant anti-American propaganda machine, Opinion: Girls reporting sexual abuse shouldnt have to fear being prosecuted. But water expertssaid it would likely take at least 30 years to clear legal hurdles to such a plan. Who is going to come to the desert and use it? Stop letting excess water flow out to sea. 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. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. Scientists estimate a football field's worth of Louisiana coast is lost every 60 to 90 minutes. Releasing more water downstream would come at the expense of upstream users . Los Angeles-area water districts have implemented much of what Famiglietti mentioned. Yet their persistence in the public sphere illustrates the growing desperation of Western states to dig themselves out of droughts. Either way, most of these projects stand little chance of becoming reality theyre ideas from a bygone era, one that has more in common with the world of Chinatown than the parched west of the present. 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. My state, your state. Among its provisions, the law granted the states water infrastructure finance authority to investigate the feasibility of potential out-of-state water import agreements. Absolutely. She points to her earlyworkfor comparison. The trooper inside suffered minor injuries. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? 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. The Old River Control Structure, as it was dubbed, is also the linchpin of massive but delicate locks and pulsed flows that feed the largest bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands in the United States, outstripping thebetter-known Okefenokee Swamp that straddles Georgia and Florida. "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 . "Recently I have noticed several letters to the editor in your publication that promoted taking water from the Mississippi River or the Great Lakes and diverting it to California via pipeline or . The price tag for construction would add to this hefty bill, along with the costs of powering the equipment needed to pump the water over the Western Continental Divide. 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. Posted on: February 7, 2023, 02:30h. 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. Tribes in the Colorado River Basin are fighting for their water. 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. My water, your water. 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. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. Take for instance the so-called Water Horse pipeline, a pet project of a Colorado investor and entrepreneur named Aaron Million. Weve had a few blizzards along the way, and some gun battles, but it is what it is.. Water use has gone down 40% per capita in recent years, said Coffey. Twitter, Follow us on The memorial also suggests that the pipeline could be used as stormwater infrastructure to prevent regular flooding along the . Opinion: California gave up on mandating COVID vaccines for schoolchildren. "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 . Butbig water infrastructure projects aren't just of interest to the general public. 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. Here's How. Vessels ran aground and had to navigate very carefully. A pipeline taking water from the Missouri River west makes perfect sense, if you don't care about money, energy, or the environment. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. Whereas I understand water rights, but globalwarming has introduced new priorities. Local hurdles include endangered species protections, wetlands protections, drinking water supply considerations and interstate shipping protections. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. In fact, she and others noted, many such ideas have been studied since the 1940s. But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. 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. Some plans call for a connection to. and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake . 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 . Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but would require decades of construction and billions of dollars. This summer, as seven states and Mexico push to meet a Tuesday deadline to agree on plans to shore up the Colorado River and itsshrivelingreservoirs, retired engineer Don Siefkes of San Leandro, California,wrote a letter to The Desert Sun with what he said was asolution to the West's water woes: build an aqueduct from the Old River Control Structure to Lake Powell, 1,489 miles west, to refill the Colorado River system with Mississippi River water. Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible. 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. The driver of the truck was not injured. It might be in the trillions, but it probably does exist.. You tellgolf courses how much water they can use, but one of thelargest wave basins in the world is acceptable? Anyone who thinks we can drain the aquifer and survive is grossly misinformed. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. It's 2011 and the technology exists to build a series of water pipelines across the US, to channel flood water to holding tanks in other areas, and to supply water to drought stricken areas. 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. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. Others said the costs of an Arizona-Mexico desalination plant would also likely prove infeasible. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. 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. 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. "Yes, a Superior-Green River pipeline seems unrealistic, even impossible at first glance," Huttner wrote for Minnesota Public Radio. That project, which also faces heavy headwinds from environmentalists, wouldcost an estimated $12 billion. Yes. 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. All rights reserved. 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. "I think that societally, we want to be more flexible. Steps are being taken to address water issues in Buckeye. On the heels of Arizonas 2021 push for a pipeline feasibility study, former Arizona Gov. This latest version would curve up through the Wyoming flatlands and back down to Fort Collins, a distance of around 340 miles. Stories of similar projects often share the same ending, from proposals in Iowa and Minnesota to those between Canada and the United States. 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 . What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? Moreover, we need water in our dams for. A drive up Interstate 5 shows how muchland has been fallowed due tolack of water. 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. They also concluded environmental and permitting reviews would take decades. The total projected cost of the plan in 1975 was $100 billion or nearly $570billion in today's dollars,comparable to theInterstate Highway System. . The California Aqueduct carries about 13,000 cubic feet per second through the Central Valley; the Colorado River atLees Ferry runs about 7,000 to 14,000 cfs; the Mississippi at Vicksburg varies from 400,000 to 1.2 million cfs. Politics are an even bigger obstacle for making multi-state pipelines a reality. "Arizona really, really wants oceanfront," she chuckled. The state should do everything possible to push conservation, but thats not going to cure the issue, he told Grist. By Brittney J. Miller, The Cedar Rapids Gazette. Million himself, though, is confident that his pipeline will get built, and that it will ensure Fort Collins future. 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. 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. The . The Colorado River's 1922 compact allocated about 23% of the Upper Basin's water to Utah, and the state uses about 72% of that water. It might be in the trillions, but it probably does exist.. Their technical report, which hasnt been peer-reviewed. But pipelines and other big ideaswill always attract interest, hydrology experts said, because they falsely promise an innovative, easy way out. 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. 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. Over the years, a proposed solution has come up again and again: large-scale river diversions, including pumping Mississippi River water to the parched west. 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. An acre-foot is enough water to serve about two households for a year, so it could supply water to 150 million customers. 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. 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. 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. 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 . Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona must be pumped about 6,000 feet up, over the Rockies. But if areas like the Coachella Valley continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, "we're screwed," he said bluntly. Donate today to keep our climate news free. The water will drain into the headwaters of the Colorado river. Would itbe expensive? Rescue the oceans from the pollution that flood waters pick up and dump into the ocean, creating dead zones. But interest spans deeper than that. Similar ideas have been suggested about Great Lakes water. 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. The pipeline will end in the Rocky Mountain National park. In 1982,efforts were made to revive the plan by a Parsons company engineer, and the Lyndon Larouche movement supported itas recently as 2010. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? 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. These realities havent stopped the Wests would-be water barons from dreaming. Many sawSiefkes' idea and others like it as sheer theft by a region that needs to fix its own woes. The actual costs to build such a pipeline today would likely be orders of magnitude higher, thanks to inflation and inevitable construction snags. Dothey pay extra for using our water? Million sued, and he says he expects a ruling this year. We are already in a severe drought. Talk about a job-creating infrastructure project, which would rivalthe tremendous civilengineering feats our country used to be noted for. Doug Ducey signed legislation this past July that invested $1.2 billion to fund projects that conserve water and bring more into the state. 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. This aerial photo of Davenport, Iowa, shows Mississippi River floodwaters in May 2019. But grand ideas for guaranteeing water for the arid Westhave beenfloated for decades. Facebook, Follow us on The hypothetical Mississippi River pipeline, which gained new life last year amid devastating drought conditions, is a case in point. In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. But, as water scarcity in the West gets more desperate, the hurdles could be overcome one day. 2023 www.desertsun.com. Historian Ted Steinberg said itsummed up "the sheer arrogance and imperial ambitions of the modern hydraulic West.". But it's doable. 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. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. Lake Mead is at its lowest level since it was filled 85 years ago. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesn't always have enough water to spare. Mississippi River drought will impact your grocery bill. Nonetheless, Siefkes trans-basin pipeline proposal went viral, receiving nearly half a million views. John Kaufman, the man who proposed the Missouri River pipeline, wants to see the artificial boundaries expand. But interest spans deeper than that. A man from Minnesota wrote to the Palm Springs Desert Sun earlier this month and expressed similar sentiments, warning, If California comes for Midwest water, we have plenty of dynamite.. A multi-state pipeline could easily require decades before it delivers a drop of water," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher with the Pacific Institute. Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. No, lets talk about her, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, 15 arrested across L.A. County in crackdown on fraudulent benefit cards, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? Precedents set by other diversion attempts, like those that created the Great Lakes Compact, also cast doubt over the political viability of any large-scale Mississippi River diversion attempt, said Chloe Wardropper, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor researching environmental governance. 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. 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. Still, he admits the road hasnt always been easy, and that victory is far from guaranteed. But moving water from one drought-impacted area to another is not a solution.. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. Certainly not the surrounding communities. Officials imposed the state's first-ever water restrictions on cities and towns, and California farmers are drilling deeper and . 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. 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. If you dont have enough of it, go find more. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Runa giant hose from the Columbia River along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to refill Diamond Valley Reservoir. Siphon off a big portion, and youd be swapping oneecological catastrophe for another, said Audubons Johnson. It's the lowest level since the lake was filled in the. An earlier version of this story misidentified for which agency Jennifer Pitt was a technical adviser. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. Then take it out of the southern tip of the aquifer in Southern Colorado. Is this a goo. Diverting that water also means spreading problems, like pollutants, excessive nutrients and invasive species. after the growth in California . The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea.
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