“How can California rob Colorado of its water? The Centennial State sits upstream from the reservoirs out of which California gets its water.”
Very simply, the Colorado River water is allocated to users along it’s entire length. Just because it starts in the Rockies doesn’t necessarily mean that the folks in Colorado can simply take what they want from it. The Colorado River is a water resource for millions of people, not just those living in Colorado.
Actually, when Hoover Dam was built, an allocation of the impounded water was set up between California and Arizona ( it’s interesting that Nevada was left out, but there weren’t any people in Nevada then ). For years, Arizona did not take anywhere near all of the allocation given to it, but now it is, and so each year, Southern California is able to take less water because of Arizona’s prior claim on its given allocation.
The bigger problem is that the Colorado River isn’t going to be able to sustain everyone who’s taking water from it now, particularly when there are draughts. Here in Northern California during our draught the last few years, we are now taking reclaimed water to use for non-potable uses. The water is free, but you have
to transport it yourself.
California has been dumber than dog $hit getting rid of nuclear power, because it is the only way that desalinization of sea water is viable.
Agreed. At some point those plants do have to go though. They don’t last forever.
When it costs too much to keep them going, they shut them down.
I would favor smaller plants, more of them, and desalination in conjunction with all of them.
I’ve only been advocating this for 25 years or so.