Thursday, July 22, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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Letter writers have asked why a water pipeline is not constructed from the Mississippi River to the Colorado River.
Since about 1983, Lake Mead has dropped in volume from full capacity at 28 million acre-feet to a July 2019 volume of 10.4 million. That’s an average loss of about a half-million acre-feet per year — a big problem.
Sikeston, Mo., on the Mississippi River and near the latitude of Las Vegas, sits at an elevation of 328 feet. The continental divide along old Route 66 is 7,270 feet, indicating a water lift of about 6,940 feet.
Suction pumps can lift only 32 feet, so it would take over 200 pumps in stages to lift water over the divide. Alternatively, high lift wells with forebays could be designed and constructed. Both require extensive electrical service.
Environmental impact reports, right-of-way and land procurement would be needed. These are all time-consuming, and costly. It seems to me that a better solution would be to stay in the Colorado River watershed and go on a serious water conservation program, with all seven states participating. Think drip irrigation.
