You tellgolf courses how much water they can use, but one of thelargest wave basins in the world is acceptable? 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. Physically, some could be achieved. But interest spans deeper than that. And several approved diversions draw water from the Great Lakes. 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. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. The snowbirds commonly stay here for at least six months. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. Moreover, we need water in our dams for hydroelectric power as well as for drinking and irrigation, so we would power the Hoover, Glen Canyon and Parker dams. Nonetheless, Siefkes trans-basin pipeline proposal went viral, receiving nearly half a million views. Major projects to restore the coast and save brown pelicans and other endangered species are now underway, and Mississippi sediment delivery is at the heart of them. Coffey said the project isn't really a pipeline, but more "a bypass for an aging 60-year-old"system. 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. This would take 254 days to fill.. 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. I have dystopian nightmares aboutpipelines marching across the landscape, saidglobal water scarcity expert Jay Famiglietti. 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. YouTube, Follow us on Under the analyzed scenario, water would be conveyed to Colorados Front Range and areas of New Mexico to help fulfill water needs. Seeking answers,The Desert Sun consultedwater experts, conservation groups and government officials for their assessments. And biologists andenvironmental attorneys saidNew Orleans and the Louisiana coast, along with the interior swamplands, need every drop of muddy Mississippi water. People fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta's Elk Slough near Courtland, California, on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. But it's doable. The actual costs to build such a pipeline today would likely be orders of magnitude higher, thanks to inflation and inevitable construction snags. The water will drain into the headwaters of the Colorado river. "I'm an optimist," said Coffey, who said local conservation is key. About 60% of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. John Kaufman, the man who proposed the Missouri River pipeline, wants to see the artificial boundaries expand. Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. The water, more than 44 million gallons a day, would come from 115 wells drilled between 1,000 and 5,000 feet deep in Beryl-Enterprise, a basin where the state has restricted use of shallow groundwater due to over-extraction. Hydrologic Unit Code 07110009. We've had relatively rich resources for so long,we've never really had to deal withthis before, andwe don't want to change.". Weve had a few blizzards along the way, and some gun battles, but it is what it is.. Butbig water infrastructure projects aren't just of interest to the general public. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. If you dont have enough of it, go find more. 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. He said the most pragmatic approach would only pump Midwest water to the metro Denver area, to substitute forimports to the Front Range on the east side of the Rockies, avoiding "staggering" costs to pump water over the Continental Divide. Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona must be pumped about 6,000 feet up, over the Rockies. Gavin Newsom reaffirming his support for the ambitious proposal. 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. By Brittney J. Miller, The Cedar Rapids Gazette. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. California wants to build a $16 billion pipeline to draw water out of the Sacramento River Delta and down to the southern part of the state, but critics say the project would deprive Delta farmers of water and destroy local ecosystems. Stories of similar projects often share the same ending, from proposals in Iowa and Minnesota to those between Canada and the United States. That project, which also faces heavy headwinds from environmentalists, wouldcost an estimated $12 billion. 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. 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 . 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 . The letter and others with an array of ideasgenerated hugeinterest from readers around the country and debate about whether the conceptsare technically feasible, politically possible orenvironmentally wise. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. 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. 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. But Westford and her colleague Brad Coffey, water resources manager,said desalination is needed in the Golden State. Instagram, Follow us on 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. 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. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesnt always have enough water to spare. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. My state, your state. But interest spans deeper than that. A multi-state pipeline could easily require decades before it delivers a drop of water," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher with the Pacific Institute. 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. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. Title: USGS Surface-Water Daily Data for the Nation URL: https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv? 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. You could do it.". 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. 10/4/2021. Absolutely not," said Meena Westford, executive director of Colorado River resource policy for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The Western U.S. is experiencing its driest period in more than a thousand years, according to scientists from UCLA and Columbia University. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. The sharing of water would greatly contribute to California being able to feed the nation. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. 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. He said wastewater reuse by area agencies has already swelled from 0.20% in the 1980sto 12% of regional water supply. But the idea hasnever completely died. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis. The resulting fresh water would bepiped northto the thirsty state. A drive up Interstate 5 shows how muchland has been fallowed due tolack of water. 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. "I don't think that drought, especially in the era of climate change, is something we can engineer our way out of.". In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. Pipelines usually consist of sections of pipe made of . The hypothetical Mississippi River pipeline, which gained new life last year amid devastating drought conditions, is a case in point. 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. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. 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. Let's be really clear here. Opinion: How has American healthcare gone so wrong? Other forms of augmentation, like desalination, are also gaining popularity on the national scene as possible options. The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. Absolutely. California Gov. Moreover, we need water in our dams for. 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 . The idea of drinking even heavily treated liquid wastemay seem unpalatable, but Westfordthinks people will adapt. A pipeline taking water from the Missouri River west makes perfect sense, if you don't care about money, energy, or the environment. Ive cowboyed enough in my life to know that you just got to stick to the trail, he said. 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. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? According to DPS, the driver of the semi-truck lost control of the truck on the icy I-40 freeway near Williams, striking a DPS patrol car parked by the side of the highway. Many sawSiefkes' idea and others like it as sheer theft by a region that needs to fix its own woes. It would turn the Southwest into an oasis, and the Great Basin into productive farmland. We need to protect our water supply, at allcosts, and forgo our financialgains. 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. The Unaffiliated is our twice-weekly newsletter on Colorado politics and policy. 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. 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. Answer (1 of 21): Interbasin transfer is something we try to avoid. Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but would require decades of construction and billions of dollars. Siphon off a big portion, and youd be swapping oneecological catastrophe for another, said Audubons Johnson. Politics are an even bigger obstacle for making multi-state pipelines a reality. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream. Citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi south of the Old River Control Structure dont need all that water. 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. 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 . But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. 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. 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. A recent edition of The Desert Sun had twoletters objectingto piping water from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River, and on to California. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Arizona is among six states, that released a letter and a proposed model for how much Colorado River water they could potentially cut to stave off a collapse. and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake . In it, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Idaho Attorney General Ral Labrador contend that a new interpretation of a Clean Water Act rule is too vague, oversteps the bounds of federal authority and puts the liberties of states and private property owners at risk. Rescue the oceans from the pollution that flood waters pick up and dump into the ocean, creating dead zones. 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. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? But grand ideas for guaranteeing water for the arid Westhave beenfloated for decades. Yes. For decades, key stewards of the river have ignored the massive water loss, instead allocating Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico their share of the river without subtracting whats evaporated. The trooper inside suffered minor injuries. While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. Twitter, Follow us on Officials imposed the state's first-ever water restrictions on cities and towns, and California farmers are drilling deeper and . Last time I heard, we are still the United States of America.". Doug Ducey signed legislation this past July that invested $1.2 billion to fund projects that conserve water and bring more into the state. 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. 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. No. And, here in the land of the midnight 90-degree temperatures, we are building our very own ice hockey rink, because there is more than enough electricity to freeze that body of water and keep the arena cold enough to keep the ice from melting.
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