Gavin Newsom reaffirming his support for the ambitious proposal. Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or pipe dream? But pipelines and other big ideaswill always attract interest, hydrology experts said, because they falsely promise an innovative, easy way out. Is California still in a drought? Recent storms fill many CA reservoirs Canadian water for California's drought? - High Country News 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 should do everything possible to push conservation, but thats not going to cure the issue, he told Grist. 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. Each year . 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. Last updated on: February 10, 2023, 10:54h. The Arizona Legislature wants the federal government to study the feasibility of constructing a pipeline . The project entails the construction of thousands of miles of pipelines and canals, 427 water treatment facilities, countless pumping facilities, and the displacement of 300,000 residents. Famiglietti saidit's time for a national water policy, not to figure out where to lay down hundreds of pipesbut to look comprehensively at the intertwining of agriculture and the lion's share ofwater it uses. So come on out for the plastic Marilyn on our dashboard, and stay for the stupendous waste of water, electricity and clean air. Could a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Arizona be a real solution? Experts say theres a proverbial snowballs chance in August of most of theseschemes being implemented. Who is going to come to the desert and use it? It's 2011 and the technology exists to build a series of water pipelines across the US, to channel flood water to holding tanks in other areas, and to supply water to drought stricken areas. As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. In any case, Utah rejected a permit for the project in 2020, saying it would jeopardize the states own water rights. Can the Mississippi River save Arizona? - wmicentral.com 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. I think the feasibility study is likely to tell us what we already know, he said, which is that there are a lot less expensive, less complicated options that we can be investing in right now, like reducing water use. "This sounds outlandish, but we have a massive problem," Paffrath said. Design and build by Upstatement. It is time to think outside the box of rain. Thats not to mention the housing development again, for the very wealthy with its own lagoon. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. He frames the pipeline as a complement to water-saving policies. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream 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. The largest eastern river, the Mississippi, has about 30 times the average annual flow of the Colorado, and the Columbia has close to 10 times. 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. "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. Lake Mead is at its lowest level since it was filled 85 years ago. 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. 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 memorial also suggests that the pipeline could be used as stormwater infrastructure to prevent regular flooding along the . "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. You couldbuild a pipeline from the Mississippi or Missouri Rivers. If a portion of the farmers in the region were to change crops or fallow their fields, the freed-up water could sustain growing cities. But there are tons of things that can be done but arent ever done.. John Kaufman, the man who proposed the Missouri River pipeline, wants to see the artificial boundaries expand. The Associated Press Climate team contributed images and page design. Then take it out of the southern tip of the aquifer in Southern Colorado. Letters to the Editor: Antigovernment ideology isnt working for snowed-in mountain towns, Letters to the Editor: Ignore Marjorie Taylor Greene? As an engineer, I can guarantee you that it is doable, Viadero said. 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.. The massive river, with tributaries from Montanato Ohio, is a national artery for shipping goodsout to sea. 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. Gavin Newsom also touted desalination in adrought resilience plan he announcedlast week, though in brackish inland areas. Pumping Mississippi River water west: solution or dream? 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. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. One proposed solution to the Colorado River Basin's water scarcity crisis has come up again and again: large-scale river diversions, including pumping Mississippi River water to the parched West . The Western U.S. is experiencing its driest period in more than a thousand years, according to scientists from UCLA and Columbia University. Studies and modern-day engineering have proven that such projects are possible but require decades of construction and billions of dollars. Latitude 3853'06", Longitude 9010'51" NAD27. 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. Paffrath proposed building a pipeline from the Mississippi River to bring water to drought-stricken California. A federal report from a decade ago pegged an optimistic cost estimate for a similar pipeline at $14 billion and said the project would take 30 years to build; a Colorado rancher who championed the idea around the same time, meanwhile, estimated its costs at $23 billion. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. A pipeline taking water from the Missouri River west makes perfect sense, if you don't care about money, energy, or the environment. Can drought-stricken CA get water from Midwest via pipeline? Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. Mississippi River drought will impact your grocery bill. 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. Leading environmental engineering firm to study alternative water USGS Surface Water for USA: Streamflow Measurements It was the Bureau of Reclamation. 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. Just pump water a few miles from the Mississippi near Des Moines into the Ogallala aquifer. 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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.. We have already introduced invasive species all over the continentzebra mussels, quagga mussels, grass carp, spiny water flea, lampreys, ru. So moving water that far away to supplement the ColoradoRiver, I don't think is viable. Twitter, Follow us on About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. Instead, California is focused on better managing the water we have, improving forecasting, and making our groundwater basins more sustainable.. You could do it.". 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. She said extensive public education, aided by federal mandates and financial incentives, eventually led toa wholesale transition that saves millions of gallons of water.
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