Michael Milstein of The Oregonian published this article about six solutions to the Southwest USA water problems. The article appears in the November 2008 issue of Popular Mechanics.
Last spring I posted about twelve alternatives to Colorado River water that were identified in a report commissioned by the SNWA. Milstein says his six are the most intriguing of ones proposed in a study by the seven Colorado River Basin states, but there are few details. I suspect the study Milstein mentions is the same one I discussed last spring.
To Milstein's six we could always add a seventh alternative: remind people "It's a desert, stupid!" and discourage newcomers.
In the meantime, a tunnel will be drilled so that SNWA can extract water from greater depths in Lake Mead. Right now, the shallow intake is 60 feet below the current lake level and the second is 110 feet below. The tunnel will cost $800M+. The diagram below is from the PM article.
I wonder what the deeper water's quality will be. I remember that Lake Mead water used to have quality problems at certain times of the year. I do not know if that is still a problem.
And here's a video of Dr. Jonathan Overpeck's keynote address at the recent WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. Not good news for the Southwest.
"We grow too soon old and too late smart." -- Unknown
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