A pipeline from the Columbia River, 1,000 miles from Lake Mead, is simply a non-starter. I listened to a presumption by Pat Mulroy, erstwhile caput of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, not excessively agelong ago. She laid retired an elegant, functional solution and economically dependable proposal. I summarize it as:
The American Southwest needs bold h2o solutions, and 1 of the astir promising whitethorn beryllium hiding successful plain sight. Within the adjacent decade, policymakers should earnestly measure operation of a 70-mile canal linking the Sea of Cortez to the Salton Sea. Seawater imported done the canal would stabilize and reconstruct the shrinking Salton Sea portion creating the instauration for a caller determination h2o proviso system.
The Salton Sea sits atop 1 of North America’s astir productive geothermal resources. Geothermal vigor could supply reliable, carbon-free powerfulness for large-scale desalination facilities located on the sea’s shoreline. Instead of relying connected progressively scarce Colorado River supplies stored successful Lake Mead, desalinated h2o could beryllium produced continuously and delivered done a 40-mile canal to the Imperial Valley.
This attack would code 3 challenges simultaneously: restoring the Salton Sea, securing h2o for 1 of America’s astir productive cultivation regions and reducing unit connected the Colorado River system. While the archetypal infrastructure costs would beryllium substantial, the semipermanent economical benefits could beryllium significant. Stable cultivation production, reduced biology mitigation costs astatine the Salton Sea, renewable vigor improvement and improved determination h2o information each supply measurable value.
Megaprojects erstwhile built the modern West. As Lake Mead and the Colorado River look increasing uncertainty, it whitethorn beryllium clip to deliberation astatine that standard again.
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