water pipeline from mississippi river to california

The basic idea is to take water from the Mississippi River, pump it a thousand miles west, and dump it into the overtaxed Colorado River, which provides water for millions of Arizona residents but has reached historically low levels as its reservoirs dry up. Western Water Woes - Is Big Infrastructure the Way to Go? An acre-foot is enough water to serve about two households for a year, so it could supply water to 150 million customers. The two reasons: 1) the process of moving water that far, and that high, wouldn't make economic sense; 2) Great Lakes water is locked down politically. An in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet to Larsons knowledge. Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or pipe dream? Runa giant hose from the Columbia River along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to refill Diamond Valley Reservoir. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Local hurdles include endangered species protections, wetlands protections, drinking water supply considerations and interstate shipping protections. But moving water from one drought-impacted area to another is not a solution.. That's a big pipe: Retired engineer suggests aqueduct from Mississippi Letters to the Editor: Really, Californians? Another call for a water The snowbirds commonly stay here for at least six months. 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. Skelton: A pipeline to the Mississippi? Silly as the recall - Los Citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi south of the Old River Control Structure dont need all that water. Can Water Megaprojects Save The US Desert West? (Part 2) of Engineers has turned back official requests for more water from the Missouri River to alleviate shortages on the Mississippi. 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. Heres how that affects Indigenous water rights, Salton Sea public health disaster gets a $250 million shot in the arm. But if areas like the Coachella Valley continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, "we're screwed," he said bluntly. 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. 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. The driver of the truck was not injured. It was the Bureau of Reclamation. Water is the new oil: Piping Lake Superior water West? One benefit would be flood control for the Eastern USA . Pipeline | Definition, History, Types, Uses, & Facts | Britannica Answer (1 of 21): Interbasin transfer is something we try to avoid. To be talking about pipe dreams when thats not even feasible for decades, if at all Its a disservice, Scanlan said. Design and build by Upstatement. USGS Surface Water for USA: Streamflow Measurements But the loss of so much water from the. Follow us on But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. Once again, Arizona hopes to import out-of-state water in face of crisis Is Getting Great Lakes Water To The Southwest Just A Pipedream In any case, Utah rejected a permit for the project in 2020, saying it would jeopardize the states own water rights. 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. Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. We've had relatively rich resources for so long,we've never really had to deal withthis before, andwe don't want to change.". 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. 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. We have already introduced invasive species all over the continentzebra mussels, quagga mussels, grass carp, spiny water flea, lampreys, ru. Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River - The New York Times The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, prodded by members of Congressfrom western states, studied the massive proposal. Title: USGS Surface-Water Daily Data for the Nation URL: https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dv? The Associated Press Climate team contributed images and page design. "People are spoiled in the United States. continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Even smaller projects stand to be derailed by similar hiccups. If officials approve this, the backlash willresult in everyone using as much water as wecare to. But pipelines and other big ideaswill always attract interest, hydrology experts said, because they falsely promise an innovative, easy way out. 2023 www.desertsun.com. Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona must be pumped about 6,000 feet up, over the Rockies. Is California still in a drought? Recent storms fill many CA reservoirs But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. 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. Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. Stop letting excess water flow out to sea. A drive up Interstate 5 shows how muchland has been fallowed due tolack of water. 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? "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 . The lawsuit, originally filed in southern Texas' federal courts Jan. 18, was amended to include Idaho on Monday. But, as water scarcity in the West gets more desperate, the hurdles could be overcome one day. So moving water that far away to supplement the ColoradoRiver, I don't think is viable. 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. 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. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? 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. 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. Democrat recall candidate Kevin Paffrath wants filter systems | The Colorado River crisis: Can water be piped from Mississippi, Missouri? Flooding along the Mississippi River basin appears to have become more frequent in recent years, as has the [] The delta was tricky for barge traffic and shipping to navigate. Its largestdam would be 1,700 feet tall, more than twice the height of Hoover Dam. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesn't always have enough water to spare. He said hes open to one but doesnt think its necessary. Not mentioned was the great grand-daddy of all schemes for re-allocating water, known as the North American Water and Power Authority Plan. Photos of snowfall around northern Arizona. This is the country that built the Hoover Dam, and where Los Angeles suburbs were created by taking water from Owens Lake. Column: Building a pipeline to the Mississippi? An idea as harebrained But interest spans deeper than that. Meanwhile, watershed states in the U.S., and even counties havetaken actionto preventsuch schemes. Some plans call for a connection to. Two hundred miles north of New Orleans, in the heart of swampy Cajun country, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1963 cut a rogue arm of the Mississippi River in half with giant levees to keep the main river intact and flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. Others said the costs of an Arizona-Mexico desalination plant would also likely prove infeasible. All rights reserved. Opinion: How has American healthcare gone so wrong? We want to have more sustainable infrastructure. Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but require decades of construction and billions of dollars. 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. Water Pipeline: From Mississippi River To The West? - YouTube Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. Snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains have swelled to more than 200 percent of their normal size, and snowfall across the rest of the Colorado River Basin is trending above average, too. The idea of drinking even heavily treated liquid wastemay seem unpalatable, but Westfordthinks people will adapt. Drainage area 171,500 square miles . (Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis, July 11). 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 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. 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. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. But we need to know a lot more about it than we currently do.. Why can't California build a pipeline for water from other states 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. As zany as the ideas may sound, could anywork, and if so, what would be the costs? YouTube star and Democratic political novice Kevin Paffrath proposed the Mississippi River pipeline last week during a debate among candidates seeking to replace Gov. 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. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. Take that, Lake Mead. and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake . Absolutely not," said Meena Westford, executive director of Colorado River resource policy for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. This latest version would curve up through the Wyoming flatlands and back down to Fort Collins, a distance of around 340 miles. By the way, none of this includes the incredible carbon footprints about to be stomped on the environment. Stories of similar projects often share the same ending, from proposals in Iowa and Minnesota to those between Canada and the United States. Can drought-stricken CA get water from Midwest via pipeline? Reader support helps sustain our work. 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. Why does California want to build a $16 billion water pipeline? "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. Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Waves of torrential rainfall drenched California into the new year. The hypothetical Mississippi River pipeline, which gained new life last year amid devastating drought conditions, is a case in point. 10/4/2021. 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 . It would turn the Southwest into an oasis, and the Great Basin into productive farmland. Stories of similar projects often share the same ending, from proposals in Iowa and Minnesota to those between Canada and the United States. Rescue the oceans from the pollution that flood waters pick up and dump into the ocean, creating dead zones. 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. 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. Even if the government could clear these hurdles, the odds that Midwestern states would just let their water go are slim. Shipping Snow: Could Eastern Water Ease Western Drought? 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. ", Westford of Southern California's Metropolitan Water District agreed. 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?" The sharing of water would greatly contribute to California being able to feed the nation. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. 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. Ultimately the rising environmental movement squelched it the project woulddestroyvast wildlife habitats in Canada and the American West,submergewild rivers in Idaho and Montana,and requirethe relocation of hundreds of thousands of people. Plus, the federal report found the water would be of much lower quality than other western water sources. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. Arizona state legislators asked Congress to consider a pipeline that dumps Mississippi water into the Green River, but there are alternate possibilities. A pipeline taking water from the Missouri River west makes perfect sense, if you don't care about money, energy, or the environment. If we had a big pipeline from Lake Sakakawea, we wouldn't just dump it into Lake Powell. Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible. The state is expected to lose 10% of its water over the next two decades, reports the . More by The Associated Press, Got a story tip? 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. Power from its hydroelectric dams would boost U.S. electricity supplies. Lake Superior Water Headed to the Southwest - Word on the Street 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. Just pump water a few miles from the Mississippi near Des Moines into the Ogallala aquifer. Pipeline debate at center of California carbon capture plans 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. He said wastewater reuse by area agencies has already swelled from 0.20% in the 1980sto 12% of regional water supply. The ongoing drought in California has hit its fourth year. We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. 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. People need to focus on their realistic solutions.. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. 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. Diverting the Missouri River to the West: 'Can' Does Not - HuffPost To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Can you solve drought by piping water across the country? - New York Times No. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. The water will drain into the headwaters of the Colorado river. 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. 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. Instagram, Follow us on 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. To the editor: While theres no question that the receding waters of Lake Mead are having a detrimental effect on recreation and tourism, the real looming catastrophe is that if the water level of the nations largest reservoir continues to fall and hits a certain level, the hydroeclectic power plant at Hoover Dam will have to shut down. 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. For one, theres no longer enough unclaimed water to make most pipeline projects cost-effective. How can we bring water from Mississippi river to west, Arizona - Quora The Nevada Legislature is considering a bill that, if passed, would require restaurants to only provide water upon customer request. 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. The 800-mile system of pipelines, ditches and reservoirs would cost an estimated $23 billion and could provide 1 million acre-feet of water a year to Colorado. Simulation of monthly mean and monthly base flow of streamflow using Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. Pitt, who was a technical adviser on Reclamation's2012 report,decried ceaselesspipeline proposals. Similar ideas have been suggested about Great Lakes water. In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. Your support keeps our unbiased, nonprofit news free. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. The bigger obstacles are fiscal, legal, environmentaland most of all, political. 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. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. 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 only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. 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. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesnt always have enough water to spare. 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. 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. Thats not to mention the housing development again, for the very wealthy with its own lagoon. "I don't think that drought, especially in the era of climate change, is something we can engineer our way out of.". Vessels ran aground and had to navigate very carefully. after the growth in California . 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. She can be reached at jwilson@gannett.com or @janetwilson66 on Twitter. 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.. [1] Scientists estimate a football field's worth of Louisiana coast is lost every 60 to 90 minutes. Hydrologic Unit Code 07110009. 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. Letters to the Editor: Antigovernment ideology isnt working for snowed-in mountain towns, Letters to the Editor: Ignore Marjorie Taylor Greene? 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. 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. 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. "I'm an optimist," said Coffey, who said local conservation is key. Water pipeline not feasible - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper This story is a product of theMississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an editorially independent reporting network based at the University ofMissouri School of Journalismin partnership withReport For Americaand theSociety of Environmental Journalists, funded by the Walton Family Foundation. At comment sessions on Colorado's plan, he said, long-distance pipelines wereconstantly suggested by the public. Sharing Mississippi River water with California would feed America Diverting that water also means spreading problems, like pollutants, excessive nutrients, and invasive species. 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. 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. On Tuesday, the Scottsdale City Council agreed on a proposal to treat water and deliver it to the community for three years. But grand ideas for guaranteeing water for the arid Westhave beenfloated for decades. A plan to divert Mississippi flood waters to west is proposed

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