What if our droughts get worse? 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. The state should do everything possible to push conservation, but thats not going to cure the issue, he told Grist. Releasing more water downstream would come at the expense of upstream users . Savor that while your lawns are dying. after the growth in California . 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. The pipeline will end in the Rocky Mountain National park. 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. We want to have more sustainable infrastructure. But, as water scarcity in the West gets more desperate, the hurdles could be overcome one day. The idea of diverting water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River basin is an excellent one, albeit also fantastically expensive. As apractical matter, Famiglietti, a Universityof Saskatchewan hydrology professor who tracks water basins worldwide via NASA satellite data, saidMississippi River states also experiencedry spells, and the watershed, the fourth largest in the world, also ebbs and flows. As zany as the ideas may sound, could anywork, and if so, what would be the costs? To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. after the growth in California . No. 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. 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. Grab hydrogen and oxygen from the air and make artificialrain. Water from these and other large rivers pour. He said a major wastewater reuse project that MWD plans to implement by 2032 could ultimately yield up 150 million gallons of potable water a day from treated waste. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Unrecognizable. Lake Mead, a lifeline for water in Los Angeles and the West, tips toward crisis. 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. . 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. Makes me wonder how this got this far, whose interests are being served and who's benefiting. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, for instance, prompting concerns over river navigation. The mountains are green now but that could be harmful during wildfire season. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy. 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. Twitter, Follow us on Siphon off a big portion, and youd be swapping oneecological catastrophe for another, said Audubons Johnson. The trooper inside suffered minor injuries. 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. Lower Mississippi River flow means less sediment carried down to Louisiana, where it's used for coastal restoration. He frames the pipeline as a complement to water-saving policies. States wish they wouldnt. Physically, some could be achieved. Don't bother sending notices on conservation; they willbe ignored. So come on out for the plastic Marilyn on our dashboard, and stay for the stupendous waste of water, electricity and clean air. A recent edition of The Desert Sun had twoletters objectingto piping water from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River, and on to California. 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. We have already introduced invasive species all over the continentzebra mussels, quagga mussels, grass carp, spiny water flea, lampreys, ru. While the much-needed water has improved conditions in the parched West, experts warn against claiming victory. What states in the Southwest have failed to do is curtail growth and agriculture that is, of course, water-driven. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. Yes, it would be hugely expensive. It would turn the Southwest into an oasis, and the Great Basin into productive farmland. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. 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. 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. 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's the lowest level since the lake was filled in the. Their detractors counter that, in an era of permanent aridification driven by climate change, the only sustainable solution is not to bring in more water, but to consume less of it. Power from its hydroelectric dams would boost U.S. electricity supplies. Last updated on: February 10, 2023, 10:54h. If we had a big pipeline from Lake Sakakawea, we wouldn't just dump it into Lake Powell. China, unlike the US, is unencumbered by NEPA, water rights and democratic processes in general. They also concluded environmental and permitting reviews would take decades. Do we have the political will? 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. This is the country that built the Hoover Dam, and where Los Angeles suburbs were created by taking water from Owens Lake. 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. Theyre all such hypocrites. If you dont have enough of it, go find more. 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. "My son will never know what a six-gallon toilet looks like," she said. Under the analyzed scenario, water would be conveyed to Colorados Front Range and areas of New Mexico to help fulfill water needs. Still, he admits the road hasnt always been easy, and that victory is far from guaranteed. Pipelines usually consist of sections of pipe made of . The distance between Albuquerque, for example, and the Mississippi River perhaps the closest hypothetical starting point for such a pipeline is about 1,000 miles, crossing at least three. "I don't think that drought, especially in the era of climate change, is something we can engineer our way out of.". Engineers said the pipelineidea is technically feasible. Experts say theres a proverbial snowballs chance in August of most of theseschemes being implemented. The total projected cost of the plan in 1975 was $100 billion or nearly $570billion in today's dollars,comparable to theInterstate Highway System. When that happens, it wont be just tourists and recreational boaters who will suffer. 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.. All rights reserved. We need to protect our water supply, at allcosts, and forgo our financialgains. Los Angeles-area water districts have implemented much of what Famiglietti mentioned. The delta was tricky for barge traffic and shipping to navigate. Gavin Newsom if he's. . 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. 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. My state, your state. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream.