Western States Megadrought intensifies - predictions for bad Fire Season and severe water shortages for Colorado (living in, move)

[bus man]

From Colorado Rambler's post:

For years, experts in the American West have predicted that, unless the steady overuse of water was brought under control, the Colorado River would no longer be able to support all of the 40 million people who depend on it. Over the past two decades, Western states took incremental steps to save water, signed agreements to share what was left and then, like Las Vegas, did what they could to protect themselves. But they believed the tipping point was still a long way off.

Forty million people depending on one single river, and not even a very big river at that. Meanwhile, one of the states fighting over this dwindling stream happens to sit right next to the world's largest ocean, which could potentially provide an endless supply of as much water as anyone could ever want. But they have to desalinate the water in order to use it, and they don't seem too keen on that, given that they just turned down a proposed desalination plant.

https://apnews.com/article/climate-c...1cb7e19abe46a1

Meanwhile, Down Under, the city of Perth gets 45 percent of its water from its two desalination plants, and more will be on the way with the coming of a third plant.

https://www.watercorporation.com.au/...s-water-supply

California's plant was shot down because of environmental concerns. But I guarantee you that when the day comes that you turn the faucet and nothing comes out, people will do ANYTHING, including denuding the environment if that's what it takes, in order to get water. Instead of waiting until that dreadful day, everyone in the Southwest ought to be working on developing alternative sources of water, while they still have the luxury of existing water sources from which to drink. Maybe you all ought to send a delegation down to Perth and see how they do it.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by bus man

... Instead of waiting until that dreadful day, everyone in the Southwest ought to be working on developing alternative sources of water, while they still have the luxury of existing water sources from which to drink. Maybe you all ought to send a delegation down to Perth and see how they do it.

Agree, but in America we have a Congress of Cowards who will do nothing until the crisis hits. They wait for the crisis in order to easily push past the anti-tax, anti-government, NIMBY and enviro mobs to get something done under emergency powers. Then, because there's an emergency, they spend our taxes at twice what it should cost so their crony capitalist pals can get even more obscenely fat slopping at the public trough. Then the creeps all pat themselves on the back and tell us how very bi-partisan they are and how proud they are of this "success."

[townshend]

Desalination can be part of the solution, but it is NOT a silver bullet: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/19/11185...lp-the-water-s

[moguldreamer]

Originally Posted by townshend

Desalination can be part of the solution, but it is NOT a silver bullet: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/19/11185...lp-the-water-s

In order for desalination to be part of the solution, you need salt water. It can't come from California, as the California Coastal Commission has said "NFW." Up from the Gulf of California (aka Sea of Cortez) across Mexico & through several US states? Up from the Gulf of Mexico through Texas and several states? Through Washington State?

[recycled]

El Paso, TX gets about a quarter of its drinking water from desalination. There is a large underground aquifer of brackish (salty) water in a basin northeast of the city. The flow of the Rio Grande has been too low and unreliable to meet all of El Paso's needs, so the desalination plant has filled in the gaps. They even sell some of the desalinated water to Juarez, Mexico. It shows that a large city in the USA can use desalination to supplement existing water sources.

[Pahn]

Originally Posted by bus man

Forty million people depending on one single river, and not even a very big river at that. Meanwhile, one of the states fighting over this dwindling stream happens to sit right next to the world's largest ocean, which could potentially provide an endless supply of as much water as anyone could ever want. But they have to desalinate the water in order to use it, and they don't seem too keen on that, given that they just turned down a proposed desalination plant.

To be perfectly fair, they have senior water rights and a much larger economy. Why should they make all the capital investment only to give up water rights they already retain?


Any adjustment in water rights has to be equitable if it's going to work.

[Vision67]

Desalination plant construction underway in Antioch as drought worsens

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco...ch-ca-drought/

"But while the state may be praying for rain, Antioch doesn't see the situation improving anytime soon. So, they're doing what a lot of other cities have only pondered--they're building the first surface-water desalination plant in the Bay Area.

The new facility, located at the city's wastewater treatment plant, will use large reverse-osmosis filters to create 6 million gallons of fresh water per day--about a third of the city's needs--but with room for expansion.

"We're actually only building about half of this facility," said Samuelson, "so this building is large enough for us to be able to double the size of this in the future."

Because they're dealing with brackish water, which has a lower salt content than regular Bay water, they can clarify it using less energy and creating less salt-concentrated wastewater."

[jetgraphics]

Perhaps we can examine what Israel did to deal with its water shortage in a much harsher environment.
Israel built innovative water treatment systems that recaptured 86 percent of the water that goes down the drain and used it for irrigation — vastly more than the second-most-efficient country in the world, Spain, which recycles 19 percent. They upped their game with desalination.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...n-era-is-here/
One of the driest countries on Earth now makes more freshwater than it needs.

http://articles.economictimes.indiat...li-agriculture

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Israel not only produces most of its own food, but also exports $1.3 billion worth of agricultural produce annually. This includes farm products as well as some $1.2 billion worth of agricultural inputs and technology sold overseas every year. Israeli farmers and scientists have had to contend with a difficult environment and limited water resources...

(FYI - its neighbors are all net food importers)

Japan is another nation that has embraced water conservation and reclamation.
(Japanese bathrooms have water recycling sinks that feed the toilet reservoir, and washers that will pump out the bathtub to recycle the water for washing clothes.)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6hqHq7MLsc

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Pahn

To be perfectly fair, they have senior water rights and a much larger economy. Why should they make all the capital investment only to give up water rights they already retain?


Any adjustment in water rights has to be equitable if it's going to work.

Much of the water in the Colorado River has been evaporating into the air.

The water ain't there.

All the water rights and lawyers on the planet will not produce a drop if there ain't a drop there.

Originally Posted by bus man

From Colorado Rambler's post:



Forty million people depending on one single river, and not even a very big river at that. Meanwhile, one of the states fighting over this dwindling stream happens to sit right next to the world's largest ocean, which could potentially provide an endless supply of as much water as anyone could ever want. But they have to desalinate the water in order to use it, and they don't seem too keen on that, given that they just turned down a proposed desalination plant.

https://apnews.com/article/climate-c...1cb7e19abe46a1

Meanwhile, Down Under, the city of Perth gets 45 percent of its water from its two desalination plants, and more will be on the way with the coming of a third plant.

https://www.watercorporation.com.au/...s-water-supply

California's plant was shot down because of environmental concerns. But I guarantee you that when the day comes that you turn the faucet and nothing comes out, people will do ANYTHING, including denuding the environment if that's what it takes, in order to get water. Instead of waiting until that dreadful day, everyone in the Southwest ought to be working on developing alternative sources of water, while they still have the luxury of existing water sources from which to drink. Maybe you all ought to send a delegation down to Perth and see how they do it.

If Tampa Bay can do it, why not the Los Angeles basin, or anywhere along the coast where they have the $$ for infrastructure to do so? Tampa Bay has done it successfully since 2007.

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

Red states can make desalinization work but deep blue California can't.

Welcome to Colorado subforums newbie.

That sounds political.

Good luck with that here. Just sayin'.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by recycled

El Paso, TX gets about a quarter of its drinking water from desalination. There is a large underground aquifer of brackish (salty) water in a basin northeast of the city. The flow of the Rio Grande has been too low and unreliable to meet all of El Paso's needs, so the desalination plant has filled in the gaps. They even sell some of the desalinated water to Juarez, Mexico. It shows that a large city in the USA can use desalination to supplement existing water sources.

Originally Posted by McGowdog

If Tampa Bay can do it, why not the Los Angeles basin, or anywhere along the coast where they have the $$ for infrastructure to do so? Tampa Bay has done it successfully since 2007.

Red states can make desalinization work but deep blue California can't.