Senior citizens dont go to wave parks. People need to focus on their realistic solutions.. Ive cowboyed enough in my life to know that you just got to stick to the trail, he said. USGS 05587500 Mississippi River at Alton, IL. The water pipelines from the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa connecting to the headwaters of the Colorado River at the Rocky Mountain National Park. [1] The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. Filling Lake Mead with Mississippi River Water No Longer a Pipe Dream. This summer, as seven states and Mexico push to meet a Tuesday deadline to agree on plans to shore up the Colorado River and itsshrivelingreservoirs, retired engineer Don Siefkes of San Leandro, California,wrote a letter to The Desert Sun with what he said was asolution to the West's water woes: build an aqueduct from the Old River Control Structure to Lake Powell, 1,489 miles west, to refill the Colorado River system with Mississippi River water. Here's How. 2023 www.desertsun.com. The bigger obstacles are fiscal, legal, environmentaland most of all, political. 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. 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. Imagine a Five foot diameter, half burried pipeline covered with photovoltaic cells on the upper half. Even if the government could clear these hurdles, the odds that Midwestern states would just let their water go are slim. Such major infrastructure is an absolute necessity, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, who said he represents the governor on all things Colorado River.. Drought conditions plagued the region throughout 2022, prompting concerns over river navigation. Last updated on: February 10, 2023, 10:54h. Here are some facts to put perspective to several of the. Savor that while your lawns are dying. Page Contact Information: Missouri Water Data Support Team Page Last Modified: 2023-03-04 08:46:14 EST 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. Under the analyzed scenario, water would be conveyed to Colorados Front Range and areas of New Mexico to help fulfill water needs. "I'm an optimist," said Coffey, who said local conservation is key. Letters to the Editor: Antigovernment ideology isnt working for snowed-in mountain towns, Letters to the Editor: Ignore Marjorie Taylor Greene? Just this past summer, the idea caused a firestorm of letters to the editor at a California newspaper. Has no one noticed how much hotter the desert is getting, not to mention the increase in fires in our area. 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. Mulroy was the keynote speaker at the convention, held at Mandalay Bay, in Las Vegas, which is one of several that comprises the Chamber of Commerce's . 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. The plan would divert water from the Missouri River which normally flows into the Mississippi River and out to the Gulf of Mexico through an enormous pipeline slicing some 600 miles (970 . 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. She points to her earlyworkfor comparison. 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. Its largestdam would be 1,700 feet tall, more than twice the height of Hoover Dam. 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. 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. "I think that societally, we want to be more flexible. In the meantime, researchers encourage more feasible and sustainable options, including better water conservation, water recycling, and less agricultural reliance. These realities havent stopped the Wests would-be water barons from dreaming. 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. It might be in the trillions, but it probably does exist.. YouTube star and Democratic political novice Kevin Paffrath proposed the Mississippi River pipeline last week during a debate among candidates seeking to replace Gov. Twitter, Follow us on Weve had a few blizzards along the way, and some gun battles, but it is what it is.. Instagram, Follow us on The pipeline will end in the Rocky Mountain National park. Widespread interest in the plan eventually fizzled. Facebook, Follow us on But Denver officials have expressed skepticism,because Missouri or Mississippi water isof inferior quality to pure mountain water. Thats not to mention the housing development again, for the very wealthy with its own lagoon. 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. But if areas like the Coachella Valley continue to approve surf waveparks and "beachfront" developments in the desert, "we're screwed," he said bluntly. Arizonas main active management areas are in Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, and Santa Cruz counties, leaving much of rural Arizona water use unregulated. Trans-national pipelines would also impact ecological resources. On the heels of Arizonas 2021 push for a pipeline feasibility study, former Arizona Gov. To the editor: I'd like to ask if the reader from Chatsworth calling for the construction of a water pipeline from the Mississippi River to Colorado River reservoirs has ever been to . The idea of drinking even heavily treated liquid wastemay seem unpalatable, but Westfordthinks people will adapt. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. The idea of a pipeline transecting the continent is not a new idea. Talk about a job-creating infrastructure project, which would rivalthe tremendous civilengineering feats our country used to be noted for. A pipeline taking water from the Missouri River west makes perfect sense, if you don't care about money, energy, or the environment. It boggles the mind. Buying land to secure water rights would cost a chunk of cash, too, 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. But, as water scarcity in the West gets more desperate, the hurdles could be overcome one day. ", But desert defenders pushed back. If you dont have enough of it, go find more. Among its provisions, the law granted the states water infrastructure finance authority to investigate the feasibility of potential out-of-state water import agreements. 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. I find it interesting that households have to watch how much water theyare usingfor washing clothes, wateringlawns, washing cars,etc. So moving water that far away to supplement the ColoradoRiver, I don't think is viable. The memorial also suggests that the pipeline could be used as stormwater infrastructure to prevent regular flooding along the . 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. About 33% of vegetables and 66% of fruits and nuts are produced in California for consumption for the nation. In 2012, the U.S. Department of the Interiors Bureau of Reclamation completed the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken within the Colorado River Basin at the time, which analyzed solutions to water supply issues including importing water from the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. "Mexico has said it didn't although there has been a recent change ingovernment.". 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. He frames the pipeline as a complement to water-saving policies. Flooding along the Mississippi River basin appears to have become more frequent in recent years, as has the [] The most obvious problem with this proposal is its mind-boggling cost. 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. Drainage area 171,500 square miles . Reader support helps sustain our work. I can't even imagine what it would all cost. ", Westford of Southern California's Metropolitan Water District agreed. Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona must be pumped about 6,000 feet up, over the Rockies. The agency is moving forward with smallerprojects across the state to reduce seismic and hydrologic risks, like eliminating leaks or seepage, including at four existing dams and related spillways in Riverside and Los Angeles counties. Take for instance the so-called Water Horse pipeline, a pet project of a Colorado investor and entrepreneur named Aaron Million. States have [historically] been very successful in getting the federal government to pay for wasteful, unsustainable, large water projects, said Denise Fort, a professor emerita at the University of New Mexico who has studied water infrastructure. Arizona, for instance, has invested millions of dollars in wastewater recycling while other communities have paid to fix leaky pipes, making their water delivery systems more efficient. Every year, NAWAPA would deliver 158 million acre-feet of water to the US, Canada, and Mexico more than 10 times the annual flow of the Colorado River. Experts we spoke with agreed the feat would be astronomical. Opinion: California gave up on mandating COVID vaccines for schoolchildren. "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 . YouTube. And biologists andenvironmental attorneys saidNew Orleans and the Louisiana coast, along with the interior swamplands, need every drop of muddy Mississippi water. 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. The sharing of water would greatly contribute to California being able to feed the nation. The water will drain into the headwaters of the Colorado river. Still, its physically possible. Water from these and other large rivers pour. 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. Anyone who thinks we can drain the aquifer and survive is grossly misinformed. And several approved diversions draw water from the Great Lakes. California uses 34 million acre-feet of water per year for agriculture. 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. 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. 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. At comment sessions on Colorado's plan, he said, long-distance pipelines wereconstantly suggested by the public. 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? 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. But the idea hasnever completely died. Still, its physically possible. and planned for completion in 2050, it willdivert 44.8 billion cubic metersof water annually to major cities and agricultural and industrial centers in the parchednorth. An in-depth feasibility study specifically on pumping Mississippi River water to the West hasnt been conducted yet to Larsons knowledge. Subscribe today to see what all the buzz is about. Still, he admits the road hasnt always been easy, and that victory is far from guaranteed. The elephant in the room, according to Fort, is agriculture, which accounts for more than 80 percent of water withdrawals from the Colorado River. 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. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Power from its hydroelectric dams would boost U.S. electricity supplies. Physically, some could be achieved. 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 state is expected to lose 10% of its water over the next two decades, reports the . Lake Mead is at its lowest level since it was filled 85 years ago.

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