2023 www.desertsun.com. Savor that while your lawns are dying. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? This One thousand mile long pipeline could move water from the Eastern USA (Great Lakes, Ohio River, Missouri River, and Mississippi River) to the Colorado River via the Mississippi River. 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. 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. Pipe water from the plentiful Great Lakes to deserted towns in the West like Phoenix and Las Vegas. Parsons said theplanwould replenishthe upper Missouri and Mississippi Rivers during dry spells, increase hydropower along the Columbia Riverand stabilize the Great Lakes. Flooding along the Mississippi River basin appears to have become more frequent in recent years, as has the [] Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but require decades of construction and billions of dollars. To Larsons knowledge, an in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet. of Engineers has turned back official requests for more water from the Missouri River to alleviate shortages on the Mississippi. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. Is California still in a drought? Recent storms fill many CA reservoirs Why does California want to build a $16 billion water pipeline? But, as water scarcity in the West gets more desperate, the hurdles could be overcome one day. He said wastewater reuse by area agencies has already swelled from 0.20% in the 1980sto 12% of regional water supply. The Colorado River is drying up. continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. 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. One benefit would be flood control for the Eastern USA . What goes into the cat-and-mouse game of forecasting Colorados avalanche risks? Moreover, we need water in our dams for. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. What if our droughts get worse? Conservation alternatives are less palatable than big infrastructure projects, but theyre also more achievable. Last time I heard, we are still the United States of America.". Its possible that the situation gets so dire that there is an amount of money out there that could overcome all of these obstacles, Larson said. 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. after the growth in California . You couldbuild a pipeline from the Mississippi or Missouri Rivers. Can drought-stricken CA get water from Midwest via pipeline? Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. 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. Still, he admits the road hasnt always been easy, and that victory is far from guaranteed. 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. But, he said, the days of mega-pipelines in the U.S. are likely over due to lack of environmental and political will. In China, the massiveSouth-to-North Water Diversion Projectis the largest such project ever undertaken. Those will require sacrifices, no doubt but not as many as building a giant pipeline would require, experts said. Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or pipe dream? We can move water, and weve proven our desire to do it. Proposed interstate water pipelines to California - Wikipedia The concepts fell into a few large categories: pipe Mississippi or Missouri River water to the eastern side of the Rockies or to Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border, bring icebergs in. The Mississippi used to flow through a delta full of bayous, shifting sad bars, And islets. But the loss of so much water from the. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesn't always have enough water to spare. Water pipeline not feasible - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper Here are 2 reasons why the drought in California won't open the door to A water pipeline from the Mississippi River to the west? - Los Angeles China, unlike the US, is unencumbered by NEPA, water rights and democratic processes in general. 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. 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. The pipeline would help it tap another 86,000 acre-feet of . How can we bring water from Mississippi river to west, Arizona - Quora To be talking about pipe dreams, when thats not even feasible for decades, if at all Its a disservice, Scanlan said. We are already in a severe drought. 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. 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. It willtake liquid sewage, treat it, and either percolate it back into area groundwater, or, if California law is changed,pipe itto water tanks across the basin. Let's be really clear here. The lawsuit, originally filed in southern Texas' federal courts Jan. 18, was amended to include Idaho on Monday. Pat Mulroy, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, pitched a bold idea at a US Chamber of Commerce event last week: divert excess Mississippi River water to the west to irrigate crops to reduce pressure on the stressed Colorado River. 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. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Instagram, Follow us on Were doing everything we can to minimize impacts, maximize benefits, and this project has a lot of benevolence associated with it. In his vision of the Wests future, urban growth will necessitate more big infrastructure projects like his. Democrat recall candidate Kevin Paffrath wants filter systems | The Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real Even if the government could clear these hurdles, the odds that Midwestern states would just let their water go are slim. No one wants to leave the western states without water, said Melissa Scanlan, a freshwater sciences professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Whereas I understand water rights, but globalwarming has introduced new priorities. The trooper inside suffered minor injuries. Arizona Legislators Want to Ship Mississippi River - Planetizen "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 . An earlier version of this story misidentified for which agency Jennifer Pitt was a technical adviser. . The massive river, with tributaries from Montanato Ohio, is a national artery for shipping goodsout to sea. About 60 percent of the region remains in some form of drought, continuing a decades-long spiral into water scarcity. Politics are an even bigger obstacle to making multi-state pipelines a reality. Letters to the Editor: Really, Californians? Another call for a water Is sending Mississippi water to West feasible? Experts weigh in (Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis, July 11). Pipeline from the Mississippi River to Colorado? - Coyote Gulch 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. "I think that societally, we want to be more flexible. But pipelines and other big ideaswill always attract interest, hydrology experts said, because they falsely promise an innovative, easy way out. Is pumping Mississippi River water west a solution or pipe dream? The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. 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. It's the lowest level since the lake was filled in the. "I don't think that drought, especially in the era of climate change, is something we can engineer our way out of.". Politics are an even bigger obstacle for making multi-state pipelines a reality. Here are some facts to put perspective to several of the. . Lake Mead is at its lowest level since it was filled 85 years ago. But interest spans deeper than that. 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. Yet some smaller-scale projects have become reality. Its largestdam would be 1,700 feet tall, more than twice the height of Hoover Dam. 10/4/2021. You could do it.". 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. and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake . Releasing more water downstream would come at the expense of upstream users . Can Water Megaprojects Save The US Desert West? (Part 2) Its possible that the situation gets so dire that there is an amount of money out there that could overcome all of these obstacles, Larson said. Facebook, Follow us on 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. Million sued, and he says he expects a ruling this year. The driver of the truck was not injured. Environmental writerMarc Reisner said the plan was one of "brutal magnificence" and "unprecedented destructiveness." The river's web, if some have their way, could become even larger. Most notably, the Mississippi River basin doesnt always have enough water to spare. So what are the solutions to the arid West's dilemma, as climate change heats up and California's State Water Project, along with Lake Mead and Lake Powell, shrivels due to reduced snowmelt and rainfall? The Associated Press Climate team contributed images and page design. Take for instance the so-called Water Horse pipeline, a pet project of a Colorado investor and entrepreneur named Aaron Million. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or pipe dream? In any case, Utah rejected a permit for the project in 2020, saying it would jeopardize the states own water rights. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. Great Lakes water piped to Southwest 'our future,' says NASA scientist 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. Absolutely. The state should do everything possible to push conservation, but thats not going to cure the issue, he told Grist. [1] Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. Available data for this site Madison County, Illinois. 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. 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. 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. USGS Surface Water for USA: Streamflow Measurements Paffrath proposed building a pipeline from the Mississippi River to bring water to drought-stricken California. Can you solve drought by piping water across the country? - New York Times "The desalinationplant Arizona has scoped out would be by far the largest ever in North America,"said Jennifer Pitt, National Audubon Society's Colorado River program director. But if areas like the Coachella Valley continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, "we're screwed," he said bluntly. 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. Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. And there are several approved diversions that draw water from the Great Lakes. and Renstrom says that unless Utah builds a long-promised pipeline to pump water 140 miles from Lake . Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona must be pumped about 6,000 feet up, over the Rockies. Every day, we hear about water conservation, restrictions. Imagine a Five foot diameter, half burried pipeline covered with photovoltaic cells on the upper half. 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. 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. We've had relatively rich resources for so long,we've never really had to deal withthis before, andwe don't want to change.". She said extensive public education, aided by federal mandates and financial incentives, eventually led toa wholesale transition that saves millions of gallons of water. The elephant in the room, according to Fort, is agriculture, which accounts for more than 80 percent of water withdrawals from the Colorado River. Others said the costs of an Arizona-Mexico desalination plant would also likely prove infeasible. "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. 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. Millions in the Southwest will literally be left in the dark and blistering heat when theres no longer enough water behind the dam to power the giant electricity-producing turbines. We have already introduced invasive species all over the continentzebra mussels, quagga mussels, grass carp, spiny water flea, lampreys, ru. 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. Why can't California build a pipeline for water from other states Ive cowboyed enough in my life to know that you just got to stick to the trail, he said. Even smaller projects stand to be derailed by similar hiccups. Viaderos team estimated that the sale of the water needed to fill the Colorado Rivers Lake Powell and Lake Mead the largest reservoirs in the country would cost more than $134 billion at a penny a gallon. Asked what might be the requirements and constraints of a pipeline from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Gene Pawliksaid, Since (the Army Corps) has not done a formal study related to the use of pipelines to move water between watersheds, we cannot speculate on the details or cost of such projects.. Similar ideas have been suggested about Great Lakes water. Once again, Arizona hopes to import out-of-state water in face of crisis 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. But water expertssaid it would likely take at least 30 years to clear legal hurdles to such a plan. Under the analyzed scenario, water would be conveyed to Colorados Front Range and areas of New Mexico to help fulfill water needs. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. 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. 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. Rescue the oceans from the pollution that flood waters pick up and dump into the ocean, creating dead zones. Skelton: A pipeline to the Mississippi? Silly as the recall - Los (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson), Lawmakers targeting hospital facility fees, Whats Working: How a Denver nonprofit is expanding the benefits of work. A drive up Interstate 5 shows how muchland has been fallowed due tolack of water.
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