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. 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. 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. Can A Pipeline Really Bring Drinking Water From Mississippi To The 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. The hypothetical Mississippi River pipeline, which gained new life last year amid devastating drought conditions, is a case in point. It would turn the Southwest into an oasis, and the Great Basin into productive farmland. 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. Yahoo, Reddit and ceaseless headlines about a 22-year megadrought and killer flash floods, not to mention dead bodies showing up on Lake Meads newly exposed shoreline, have galvanized reader interest this summer. Donate today to keep our climate news free. Great Lakes water piped to Southwest 'our future,' says NASA scientist Its easy to understand why politicians want to throw their weight behind similar present-day projects, Fort told Grist, but projects of this size just arent practical anymore. 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. Colorado River crisis: Can water be piped from Mississippi, Missouri? Thats not to mention the housing development again, for the very wealthy with its own lagoon. Imagine a Five foot diameter, half burried pipeline covered with photovoltaic cells on the upper half. Politics are an even bigger obstacle to making multi-state pipelines a reality. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. 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. The water pipelines from the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa connecting to the headwaters of the Colorado River at the Rocky Mountain National Park. Butbig water infrastructure projects aren't just of interest to the general public. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans Absolutely not," said Meena Westford, executive director of Colorado River resource policy for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It is a minimum of 1,067 miles from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River if it could be built in a fairly straight line (St. Louis to Grand Junction, Colorado, based on the route of. The . What's the solution to West's water crisis? Desperate ideas explained Environmental writerMarc Reisner said the plan was one of "brutal magnificence" and "unprecedented destructiveness." Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. 2023 www.desertsun.com. "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. 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. after the growth in California . 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. More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? 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. Take that, Lake Mead. 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?" But moving water from one drought-impacted area to another is not a solution.. What if our droughts get worse? The other alternatives have political costs, and they have costs that are maybe more likely to be borne locally, including by farmers and other large water users, she said. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. 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. Then take it out of the southern tip of the aquifer in Southern Colorado. Meanwhile, watershed states in the U.S., and even counties havetaken actionto preventsuch schemes. The Abandoned Plan That Could Have Saved America From Drought Lower Mississippi River flow means less sediment carried down to Louisiana, where its used for coastal restoration. Similar ideas have been suggested about Great Lakes water. Petition End Floods in America by Creating a Pipeline Network to Idaho joins Texas lawsuit against Biden administration over federal Leading environmental engineering firm to study alternative water The plan would divert water from the Missouri River which normally flows into the Mississippi River and out to the Gulf of Mexico through an enormous pipeline slicing some 600 miles (970 . Janet Wilson is senior environment reporter for The Desert Sun, and co-authors USA Today'sClimate Point newsletter. An in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet to Larsons knowledge. But Denver officials have expressed skepticism,because Missouri or Mississippi water isof inferior quality to pure mountain water. 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. 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. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Waves of torrential rainfall drenched California into the new year. Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River - The New York Times Water from these and other large rivers pour. Absolutely. By the way, none of this includes the incredible carbon footprints about to be stomped on the environment. If officials approve this, the backlash willresult in everyone using as much water as wecare to. 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.. Why hasn't the U.S. built an aqueduct or pipeline to divert - Quora The Mississippi used to flow through a delta full of bayous, shifting sad bars, And islets. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. 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. 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. 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. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. But the idea hasnever completely died. Lower Mississippi River flow means less sediment carried down to Louisiana, where it's used for coastal restoration. Under the analyzed scenario, water would be conveyed to Colorados Front Range and areas of New Mexico to help fulfill water needs. Each year worsens our receipt of rain and snow. 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. 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. "The engineering is feasible. 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. Gavin Newsom if he's. Available data for this site Madison County, Illinois. Arizona, for instance, has invested millions of dollars in wastewater recycling while other communities have paid to fix leaky pipes, making their water delivery systems more efficient. Can the Mississippi River save Arizona? - wmicentral.com In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesnt always have enough water to spare. Anyone who thinks we can drain the aquifer and survive is grossly misinformed. WATER WILL SOON be flowing from Lake Superior to the parched American Southwest. Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but require decades of construction and billions of dollars. 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. Other forms of augmentation, like desalination, are also gaining popularity on the national scene as possible options. Instagram, Follow us on The actual costs to build such a pipeline today would likely be orders of magnitude higher, thanks to inflation and inevitable construction snags. Twitter, Follow us on It's the lowest level since the lake was filled in the. 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. Why not begin a grand national infrastructure project of building a water pipeline from those flooded states to the Southwest? These realities havent stopped the Wests would-be water barons from dreaming. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. The Western U.S. is experiencing its driest period in more than a thousand years, according to scientists from UCLA and Columbia University. John Kaufman, the man who proposed the Missouri River pipeline, wants to see the artificial boundaries expand. No. 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. Can drought-stricken CA get water from Midwest via pipeline? Each state along the Colorado River basin had the rights to a certain quantity of river water, divided among major users like farms and cities, and the projects were designed to help the states realize those abstract rights. 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. 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. Siphon off a big portion, and youd be swapping oneecological catastrophe for another, said Audubons Johnson. The diverted flow would require massive water tunnels, since a flow of 250,000. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. "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. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. My state, your state. Mississippi River drought will impact your grocery bill. 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. 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. An "interstate water system" could fix the West's water woes Every day, we hear about water conservation, restrictions. 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. It would cost at least $1,700 per acre-feet of water, potentially yield 600,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2060 and take 30 years to construct. 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. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Yes. The list of projects that run on similarly magical thinking goes on: Utah wants to build a pipeline of its own from Lake Powell to the fast-growing city of St. George, but Lake Powell has almost no water left. Talk about a job-creating infrastructure project, which would rivalthe tremendous civilengineering feats our country used to be noted for. . The driver of the truck was not injured. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. Los Angeles-area water districts have implemented much of what Famiglietti mentioned. Pipeline from the Mississippi River to Colorado? - Coyote Gulch An earlier version of this story misidentified for which agency Jennifer Pitt was a technical adviser. Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. he said. Do we have the political will? The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. Democrat recall candidate Kevin Paffrath wants filter systems | The Why are they so hard to catch? YouTube. 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. Senior citizens dont go to wave parks. Its one of dozens of letters the paperhas received proposing or vehemently opposing schemes to fix the crashing Colorado River system, which provides water to nearly 40 million people and farms in seven western states. Each year . But water expertssaid it would likely take at least 30 years to clear legal hurdles to such a plan. Take for instance the so-called Water Horse pipeline, a pet project of a Colorado investor and entrepreneur named Aaron Million. My water, your water. 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. This is the country that built the Hoover Dam, and where Los Angeles suburbs were created by taking water from Owens Lake. Million himself, though, is confident that his pipeline will get built, and that it will ensure Fort Collins future. If you dont have enough of it, go find more. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. Design and build by Upstatement. Paffrath proposed building a pipeline from the Mississippi River to bring water to drought-stricken California. 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. 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 . Million sued, and he says he expects a ruling this year. Officials imposed the state's first-ever water restrictions on cities and towns, and California farmers are drilling deeper and . 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. 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? Gavin Newsom also touted desalination in adrought resilience plan he announcedlast week, though in brackish inland areas. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but would require decades of construction and billions of dollars. Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or pipe dream? But interest spans deeper than that. 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. Its largestdam would be 1,700 feet tall, more than twice the height of Hoover Dam. Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible. USGS Surface Water for USA: Streamflow Measurements He said hes open to one but doesnt think its necessary. "This sounds outlandish, but we have a massive problem," Paffrath said. 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. 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. The Arizona Legislature wants the federal government to study the feasibility of constructing a pipeline . Local hurdles include endangered species protections, wetlands protections, drinking water supply considerations and interstate shipping protections. 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. Much of the sediment it was carrying was dropped in the slow moving water of the Delta. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream. "Yes, a Superior-Green River pipeline seems unrealistic, even impossible at first glance," Huttner wrote for Minnesota Public Radio. The mountains are green now but that could be harmful during wildfire season. 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. 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. 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. No one wants to leave the western states without water, said Melissa Scanlan, a freshwater sciences professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. But interest spans deeper than that. 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. 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. Infrastructure is one of the few ways well turn things around to assure that theres some supply.. The resulting fresh water would bepiped northto the thirsty state. 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. By Brittney J. Miller, The Cedar Rapids Gazette. Nonetheless, Siefkes trans-basin pipeline proposal went viral, receiving nearly half a million views. Stop letting excess water flow out to sea. The most obvious problem with this proposal is its mind-boggling cost. 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. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? "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 . I find it interesting that households have to watch how much water theyare usingfor washing clothes, wateringlawns, washing cars,etc. 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. Diverting the Missouri River to the West: 'Can' Does Not - HuffPost Water Pipeline of America - Colorado-Mississippi Pipeline - Zamboanga 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. 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. 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.
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