It's hard to ignore the news about all the reservoirs along the Colorado River that are doing a great job of drying up.?ÿ It's equally hard to find anyone that has knowledge about the subject that has anything optimistic to say about it.?ÿ Things are approaching a dire situation..if they're not already there.
But just the other day I read an interesting article about some scheming to transfer floodwaters from the Mississippi to the west.?ÿ Definitely a fantastic concept which, if it ever made it to fruition, would be a massive engineering and construction undertaking.?ÿ
Just wondering what others might think about this??ÿ
You can find several stories about the idea by using Google. Ideas have been kicked around for several years. It seems that whatever is proposed is going to be expensive, and a pipeline (12 ft diameter?) will meet resistance from landowners in its path.?ÿ Some suggest laws for conservation (no more golf courses or private pools in affected areas) and desalinization. It's not clear any method considered would really meet the demand.
A positive spin:
A somewhat balanced look:
A naysayer:
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In AK Hickle wanted to put in a pipeline to LA...
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We have two problems...STOP BUILDING CITIES IN THE DESERT!!! STOP BUILDING CITIES IN THE FLOOD ZONE!!!
Perhaps we could find a happy medium.
IF the federal government doesnt make all of us pay for California to have water, then the price of water will go up in those areas, people will use less...perhaps people will move away that cannot afford to live there...it solves itself.
Needing to ban water for pools and golf courses just means that water is not appropriately priced in those areas.
Over 45 years ago I was reading magazines warning everyone of what was to come.?ÿ Around that same time the ZPG movement was attempting to warn the world of similar doom and gloom (ZPG = Zero Population Growth).
Wasn't it Pogo who declared:?ÿ We have met the enemy and they is us.?ÿ Or, something close to that.
The first link I gave talks about hydro power generation in the west, but ignored the fact that it would take a lot of some kind of power to raise the water in getting it there.
It ain't going to flow uphill from Cairo to the Colorado by itself.
Yeah, I know a lot about it. Wish I didn't but I do.
Montana just made a call; that stirred up the hornet's nest.
California is constantly trying to grab our water.
So far we are the king of the hill and all efforts have nibbled around the edges.
The Montana call looks to be another wasted one as there is a 2' predicted snow storm coming next week. Also, Colorado will get some of that which may help to the south. That of course is a temporary solution as the systemic problem of overuse will continue.
The annual meetings of the River users have us at the head of the table (so I'm told) and everyone is deferential to our delegation because of the system set up by the great Elwood Mead.?ÿ
The problem for me personally and other water "experts" in the state is the constant pressure from surrounding states to take whatever water they can grab. So it's a perpetual fight to up-date records and user's systems. Never-ending little projects that are very costly and not very profitable.
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@dmyhill Agriculture uses 80-90% of that water.?ÿ
In CA, it seems that they dump most of it down their streams to keep some tiny fish from dying.?ÿ
The first link I gave talks about hydro power generation in the west, but ignored the fact that it would take a lot of some kind of power to raise the water in getting it there.
It ain't going to flow uphill from Cairo to the Colorado by itself.
LOL, just back up the Mississippi until the top of the lake hits the Rockies.?ÿ
@dmyhill?ÿ
That would be one big damn dam.?ÿ The dam alone would cover several States and require soil from a few more.?ÿ Probably couldn't back it up all the way to the Rockies, though.?ÿ The northeastern end of the dam would be somewhere in Pennsylvania at whatever elevation that is.?ÿ The splllway would need to be connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
@dmyhill If California did have more water, they'd just figure out new and more creative ways to squander it.?ÿ
I recently read that Los Angeles is instituting lawn watering restrictions this year for the first time.?ÿ Call me when you are ready to get serious.?ÿ?ÿ
Need to stop watering all the cemeteries, everywhere
I recently read that Los Angeles is instituting lawn watering restrictions this year for the first time.?ÿ Call me when you are ready to get serious.?ÿ?ÿ
I'm pretty sure its not the first time ever.?ÿ We had water restrictions for many years in Ventura County, just outside of LA
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@dmyhill If California did have more water, they'd just figure out new and more creative ways to squander it.?ÿ
California (like many other states) doesn't know how to store water long term.?ÿ Everyone across the country should be worried about the central valley in California not having enough water.?ÿ That's is if anyone is concerned about the many, MANY tons of crops that come out of that region shipped to pretty much the entire country.
And from what I've personally seen, its pretty much the entire western part of the country that is affected
People who have spent a lifetime in the arid portions of the US understand they are lucky to get what they get, when they get it.?ÿ Those that draw from underground sources understand they will deplete that storage if they draw out more than the recharge rate.
The problem comes from those who have always had whatever amount they choose to use available to them.?ÿ When they relocate to an arid region, there is a certain disconnect that is hard to grasp.?ÿ I was eleven years old before we had access to a rural water line and common indoor plumbing.?ÿ Every drop of water we used was pumped by hand into a bucket.?ÿ The total water use per month would have been far less than 1000 gallons for a family of four.?ÿ We had no way to water a lawn or pressure wash a vehicle.?ÿ Today, the two of us use about 4000 gallons per month.?ÿ Very few of those gallons are consumed for drinking and cooking purposes.?ÿ Using 1000 gallons of water out of a well with a hand pump is a heck of a lot of work.?ÿ Each 1000 gallons of additional water use today costs $5.50, for me.?ÿ That's not many minutes of billable time.
@ric-moore California??s top agricultural export is almonds. Something like 5 billion dollars worth. Water to grow one single almond, 1.3 gallons.?ÿ
Huge amounts of work has been carried out over the decades by agricultural and irrigation engineers to devise systems to get that 1.3 gallons delivered in the most efficient method.?ÿ Rain may provide thousands of gallons, of which only 1.3 goes to that single almond.?ÿ That is why it is more efficient to use the irrigation approach in an arid or indoor location for such crops.
Hydroponic production is still in its infancy compared to total crop production.
Recycling sewage water sounds repugnant, but is the ultimate answer for metropolitan areas.
@ric-moore California??s top agricultural export is almonds. Something like 5 billion dollars worth. Water to grow one single almond, 1.3 gallons.?ÿ
Yep, totally!?ÿ It always amazes me driving by all the rice fields, which are flooded during growing season, and the field right next to it is almond and walnut orchards.?ÿ Blows your mind that the almonds use more water than the rice.
My water comes from rain into a 15K gal. cistern that probably added to $30K to the cost of the house. Water trucks run all the time taking 3K gals. to fill pools, water the landscaping and provide hour long showers to tourists at $300 - $600 per truckload. Houses with municipal desal water pay about $0.05 per gallon, I think.?ÿ When Californians pay like that, they will get serious.?ÿ
