Quote:
Originally Posted by Tobra
I would build a conveyor system and dump it on train cars, like they did when they built it in the first place.
Okay, it looks like 5750 cu ft per train car. Found a calculator that gives me 13,068,000,133 cu ft for 300,000 acre ft. 2,272,695 train cars. They can dump it in the midwest and replenish the topsoil.
How else can they increase water storage that inexpensively? Limited number of places you can build a dam. If there were interest in actually improving the situation, this would be happening right now at Folsom, Shasta and all over the West. Instead, they do nothing.
|
Good math, but I think your estimate of hopper capacity at 5750 cu. ft. is high. Maybe close to total physical volume for light commodities (grain) but sediment will be heavy, and probably more like 3000 cu ft/car.
Plus there is something on the order of 10,000 AF of sediment entering Mead annually (10% of what it used to be, before Powell started intercepting most of it) that has to be dealt with before the hole grows any bigger.
What has been happening is a number of reservoirs have had their storage increased either by raising the dam crest, or modifying spillway/outlet works capacity to allow higher safe operating level. If memory serves, this was already done at Folsom a few years back.