water pipeline from mississippi river to california water pipeline from mississippi river to california

Today, any water pipeline could cost from $10 billion to $20 billion with another $30 billion in improvements just to get the water to thirsty people and farms. General Manager Henry Martinez also warned that cutting water to Imperial Valley farmers and nearby Yuma County, Arizona, could lead to a food crisis as well as a water crisis. My state, your state. Don't bother sending notices on conservation; they willbe ignored. If we had a big pipeline from Lake Sakakawea, we wouldn't just dump it into Lake Powell. It would carry about 50,000 acre-feet of water per year, much less than the original pipeline plan but still twice Fort Collins current annual usage. To the editor: The states near the Gulf of Mexico are often flooded with too much water, while the Southwest is suffering a long-term drought. The pipeline will end in the Rocky Mountain National park. As zany as the ideas may sound, could anywork, and if so, what would be the costs? continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. (Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis, July 11). Stories of similar projects often share the same ending, from proposals in Iowa and Minnesota to those between Canada and the United States. 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 pipeline would provide the Colorado River basin with 600,000 acre-feet of water annually, which could serve roughly a million single-family homes. About 60 percent of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. The elephant in the room, according to Fort, is agriculture, which accounts for more than 80 percent of water withdrawals from the Colorado River. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This story is part of the Grist seriesParched, an in-depth look at how climate change-fueled drought is reshaping communities, economies, and ecosystems. Seeking answers,The Desert Sun consultedwater experts, conservation groups and government officials for their assessments. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The sharing of water would greatly contribute to California being able to feed the nation. Steps are being taken to address water issues in Buckeye. Other forms of augmentation, like desalination, are also gaining popularity on the national scene as possible options. Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. There are no easy fixes to a West that has grown and has allocated all of its water theres no silver bullet, she said. The Mississippi used to flow through a delta full of bayous, shifting sad bars, And islets. 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. People need to focus on their realistic solutions.. Doug Ducey signed legislation this past July that invested $1.2 billion to fund projects that conserve water and bring more into the state. Email: [email protected] 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. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. To Larsons knowledge, an in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet. Instagram, Follow us on Why are they so hard to catch? Do we have the political will? "Mexico has said it didn't although there has been a recent change ingovernment.". 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. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. 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. Citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi south of the Old River Control Structure dont need all that water. 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. In 1982,efforts were made to revive the plan by a Parsons company engineer, and the Lyndon Larouche movement supported itas recently as 2010. 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. 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. On the heels of Arizonas 2021 push for a pipeline feasibility study, former Arizona Gov. Ive cowboyed enough in my life to know that you just got to stick to the trail, he said. Power from its hydroelectric dams would boost U.S. electricity supplies. Las Vegas' grand proposal is to take water from the mighty Mississippi in a series of smaller pipeline-like exchanges among states just west of the Mississippi to refill the overused. Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. Heproposed usingnuclear explosionsto excavate the system's trenches and underground water storage reservoirs. 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. In 1964, a California engineering company proposed diverting flows from the Yukon and Mackenzie River watersheds, shared by Canada and the U.S., all the way to southern California and into Mexico. Even smaller projects stand to be derailed by similar hiccups. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. Each year . Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. Similar ideas have been suggested about Great Lakes water. All rights reserved. Pipeline sizes vary from the 2-inch- (5-centimetre-) diameter lines used in oil-well gathering systems to lines 30 feet (9 metres) across in high-volume water and sewage networks. "My son will never know what a six-gallon toilet looks like," she said. And there are several approved diversions that draw water from the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, watershed states in the U.S., and even counties havetaken actionto preventsuch schemes. 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. 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. 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. Page Contact Information: Missouri Water Data Support Team Page Last Modified: 2023-03-04 08:46:14 EST 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.. Pipelines usually consist of sections of pipe made of . As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. 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. In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. 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. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. 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. . after the growth in California . If you dont have enough of it, go find more. Yet some smaller-scale projects have become reality. 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. It was the Bureau of Reclamation. Nonetheless, Siefkes trans-basin pipeline proposal went viral, receiving nearly half a million views. 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. Reader support helps sustain our work. 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. Politics are an even bigger obstacle for making multi-state pipelines a reality. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. 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. This latest version would curve up through the Wyoming flatlands and back down to Fort Collins, a distance of around 340 miles. California Departmentof Water Resourcesspokeswoman Maggie Maciasin an email: In considering the feasibility of a multi-state water conveyance infrastructure, the extraordinary costs that would be involved in planning, designing, permitting, constructing, and then maintaining and operating such a vast system of infrastructure would be significant obstacles when compared to the water supply benefits and flood water reduction benefits that it would provide. But if areas like the Coachella Valley continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, "we're screwed," he said bluntly. Is this a goo. For as long as this idea has been proposed. Who is going to come to the desert and use it? Los Angeles-area water districts have implemented much of what Famiglietti mentioned. 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. Grab hydrogen and oxygen from the air and make artificialrain. Experts we spoke with agreed the feat would be astronomical. 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. While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. John Kaufman, the man who proposed the Missouri River pipeline, wants to see the artificial boundaries expand. Twitter, Follow us on An in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet to Larsons knowledge. "Arizona really, really wants oceanfront," she chuckled. 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. Infrastructure is one of the few ways well turn things around to assure that theres some supply.. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. Stop letting excess water flow out to sea. 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. 2023 www.desertsun.com. Drop us a note at [email protected]. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson), Lawmakers targeting hospital facility fees, Whats Working: How a Denver nonprofit is expanding the benefits of work. Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. The pipeline would help it tap another 86,000 acre-feet of . Every year, NAWAPA would deliver 158 million acre-feet of water to the US, Canada, and Mexico more than 10 times the annual flow of the Colorado River. Take that, Lake Mead. 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. 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 . That project, which also faces heavy headwinds from environmentalists, wouldcost an estimated $12 billion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, prodded by members of Congressfrom western states, studied the massive proposal. The water will drain into the headwaters of the Colorado river. 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. The most obvious problem with this proposal is its mind-boggling cost. Absolutely. Yet their persistence in the public sphere illustrates the growing desperation of Western states to dig themselves out of droughts. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. 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. "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. "To my mind, the overriding fatal flaw for large import schemes is the time required to become operational. This would take 254 days to fill.. 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. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. 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. 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. Drought looms over midterm elections in the arid West, From lab to market, bio-based products are gaining momentum, The hazards of gas stoves were flagged by the industry and hidden 50 years ago, How Alaskas coastal communities are racing against erosion, Construction begins on controversial lithium mine in Nevada. Much of the sediment it was carrying was dropped in the slow moving water of the Delta. About 60% of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. Environmental writerMarc Reisner said the plan was one of "brutal magnificence" and "unprecedented destructiveness." 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. Letters to the Editor: Antigovernment ideology isnt working for snowed-in mountain towns, Letters to the Editor: Ignore Marjorie Taylor Greene? One method for simulating streamflow and base flow, random forest (RF) models, was developed from the data at gaged sites and, in turn, was . To the editor: I'd like to ask if the reader from Chatsworth calling for the construction of a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Colorado River reservoirs has ever been to . 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. Hydrologic Unit Code 07110009. People need to focus on their realistic solutions.. 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. 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. We have to conserve water, butnota ridiculous wave parkthat willprobably go bankrupt? While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. Historian Ted Steinberg said itsummed up "the sheer arrogance and imperial ambitions of the modern hydraulic West.". The state is expected to lose 10% of its water over the next two decades, reports the . 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. Some plans call for a connection to. 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. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. 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. But interest spans deeper than that. 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. 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. "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 . 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. I have dystopian nightmares aboutpipelines marching across the landscape, saidglobal water scarcity expert Jay Famiglietti. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. 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. And several approved diversions draw water from the Great Lakes. Lake Mead is at its lowest level since it was filled 85 years ago. Then take it out of the southern tip of the aquifer in Southern Colorado. 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.