Ever Shrinking Lake Mead

[cabmandone]

Seems someone took Warrant's advice and didn't throw the body in the wishing well.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/26/us/lake-mead-body/index.html

[daepp]

There are two more water inlets for LV municipal supply, placed years ago lower in Lake Mead just in case of this problem.

[dad911]

Yet currently las vegas, a mere 20 miles away, is flooding, casinos and airport under water.

[GG Allin]

Doesn't Vegas water run off eventually make it in to Lake Mead?

[Tobra]

I thought what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas

[island911]

[Tobra]

It helps if you understand why Lake Mead is so low.

There are a number of dams on the Colorado and its tributaries. The two largest reservoirs in the country, Lake Mead and upstream from it, Lake Powell, are part of this. The degree of water restrictions for users of this water are solely based on the level of Lake Mead, rather than the water in the entire system. Upshot of this is that they can run Powell a bit higher, and Mead a bit lower and trigger more draconian restrictions, particularly on Arizona and California.

The entire project has been criminally mismanaged from the outset.

[Radioactive]

What happened to the Cadiz water project in the Mojave Desert?

I guess I can google it.........

edit: looks like another another Biden canceled Trump,

[KNS]

Originally Posted by Tobra

The entire project has been criminally mismanaged from the outset.

John Wesley Powell tried to tell a Senate Select Committee on irrigation and reclamation 150 years ago there was not enough water provided by the Colorado River but nobody would listen to him.

[Tobra]

Yeah, they based their use estimations on the river having flood level amounts of water every year, but a lot of mugs got rich.

[Mark Howard]

Maybe I’m a bit naive or crazy, but we have petroleum pipelines from Houston to the northeast, to LA, and further elsewhere….why not build a pipeline, or use a current one, from the Mississippi River to the west to deliver water to the Colorado River system? Seems like a small cost to keep the southwest from future abandonment.

[Tobra]

Mr Howard, I do not think solving the problem is their intent, so much as taking advantage of the problem.

[Mark Howard]

Guess you’re right…I’m a fixer and don’t think that way.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by Mark Howard

Maybe I’m a bit naive or crazy, but we have petroleum pipelines from Houston to the northeast, to LA, and further elsewhere….why not build a pipeline, or use a current one, from the Mississippi River to the west to deliver water to the Colorado River system? Seems like a small cost to keep the southwest from future abandonment.

There was talk not long ago about tapping into the Great Lakes for the same reason.

The outrage was impressive and justified, IMO.

[mdj930]

I find it interesting that Lake Havasu Water Level is 4 feet above full and has been all summer. Being in the middle of the desert I doubt it gets much more water than the Colorado river supplies. What does that mean? Is the power that is generated from releasing water more important than drinking water out of lake Mead?




WATER LEVEL
449.81
Feet MSL

Wednesday, August 3, 2022
4:30:00 PM
Level is 4.81 feet
above full pool of 445.00
Change Since Yesterday: 0.24 Feet

[hbueno]

A quick search shows that Los Angeles uses about 500 million gallons per day. Assuming 1/4 is supplied from the Mississippi, what size pipelines (and how many) would be needed? How much energy would be expended to pump that volume of water? I suspect the answer is it doesn't make sense.

[Sooner or later]

I think these numbers are correct. I was given some free smoke so my brain is in a bit of a fog.

Keystone pipeline is 36". Maximum of 700,000 barrels a day or about 30,000,000 gallons a day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_Pipeline


Hoover dam releases 12,700 cubic feet per second. 762,000 c/f per minute or 5,700,000 gallons per minute. https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/hourly/rivops.html

The Colorado takes less than 6 minutes to exceed Keystone daily output.

And then there is the altitude change.

[RNajarian]

I check this website pretty regularly, hoping for significant improvement.

Unfortunately no such luck.

Lake Mead Water Database

[Tobra]

Water level in Havasu has no impact on water restrictions, only Mead does

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Mark Howard

Maybe I’m a bit naive or crazy, but we have petroleum pipelines from Houston to the northeast, to LA, and further elsewhere….why not build a pipeline, or use a current one, from the Mississippi River to the west to deliver water to the Colorado River system? Seems like a small cost to keep the southwest from future abandonment.

Because the Southeast doesn't want to strain their resources to bail out foolish planning and resource usage of the west. You went and spent all your resources, don't ask us to destroy ours to bail you out.

Over population in a region that cannot sustain that much water usage NEEDS TO HAVE FUTURE ABANDONMENT.