Posted on 03/31/2022 3:16:20 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials are funneling more money to rural water projects in several states as the Biden administration looks to put a dent in growing infrastructure needs amid drought and climate change.
The U.S. Interior Department announced Thursday that $420 million will be spent on projects in New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. The work includes construction of water treatment plants, pipeline connections, pump systems and reservoirs to provide drinking water to rural and tribal communities.
The West is experiencing a more than 20-year megadrought. Scientists say the region has become much warmer and drier in recent decades and that climate change will continue to make weather more extreme, wildfires more frequent and destructive, and water supplies less reliable.
Native American tribes that are seeing relief from a federal funding drought are working to build infrastructure to fulfill water rights settlements and related projects. On the Navajo Nation for example, tens of thousands of people still live without running water, while tribes in the upper Midwest are awaiting pipeline extensions that would tap into reliable sources.
Tanya Trujillo, assistant Interior secretary for water and science, was flanked by water managers in Albuquerque when she made the announcement. New Mexico is among the states dealing with shrinking supplies amid consecutive years of drought.
“The department is committed to bringing clean, reliable drinking water to rural communities to help strengthen resilience to climate change,” Trujillo said.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
If the Climate changes right before your eyes maybe we missed it ,LOL
Drought in the desert.
I am shocked.
Shocked!
420?
heh, wonder where that number came from?
I’ll believe they are serious when they green light the Auburn Dam in California.
Project has been on the drawing board since I was a kid growing up in Sacramento...or over 50-years.
Bureau of Reclamation should be eliminated.
Pelousy has been stealing California’s central valley water for years.
Money will not create more water.
Yeah, you’d expect the State of the Union speech to address the state of the union, wouldn’t you? But is NEVER actually discussed.
There is not that much a drought as there is an increase of usage.
There are many real solutions possible, all killed by the enviros.
Build some more dams in CA.
Stop saving the delta smelt.
Build some desalination plants.
Build a canal from Arkansas/Mississippi rivers to NM and AZ.
I read somewhere that Biden wants to pay Mexico to build de-sal plants so the US can keep a bigger fraction of the Colo flow. Apparently there’s a treaty now with the proportions?
Maybe the problem is all the thirsty people someone let in from south of the boarder...... I think so, millions and millions!
But don’t pipelines disrupt the environment and disturb Native American Sacred lands?
Properly done (which is a laughable assumption for CA) this would free up the majority of river sourced water for agriculture.
There is a high saline waste water type in the agricultural areas such as the Imperial Valley and Central Valley. Irrigation water percolates down through the soil leaching inorganics then to drainage canals to convey this water away from the fields. In the Imperial Valley, this drainage flows downhill to the Salton Sea. A hundred years ago, the Salton Sea was a desert resort area. Now it is a dead body of water and hazardous.
If CA wants to do a twofer, simply use Salton Sea water as feed to a desalination plant and use steam from the adjacent geothermal resourced hot brine to supply the energy. Use multieffect evaporation, not membranes (ie. ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis). The existing agricultural water drainage system continues in operation as is. A dry waste consisting of salts would need disposal. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any commercial use for this waste.
I read somewhere that Biden wants to pay Mexico to build de-sal plants so the US can keep a bigger fraction of the Colo flow
__________
Not Biden, but the State of Arizona.
Many years ago, there was a treaty, which divided all Colorado River water to neighboring states and Mexico.
CA got the biggest chunk, and they do not really need it that much, they waste a lot over there. Las Vegas on the other side is in the worst situation.
This deal actually makes a lot of sense, instead pumping water from Mexico, we keep the Mexican allotment and give Mexico de-sal.
CA, which has access to the whole Pacific could do a lot of de-sal, the technology is there, but - God forbid - the salty water from the de-sal operation would destroy the whole Ocean! That’s what the enviros in CA claim.
We could pay CA to do some de-sal and keep part of CA allotment, but it is easier to deal with Mexico than with CA!
Too many people living in areas where water resources
are limited. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, with
shortsightedness of planning. I guess they have to
blame it on something.
the solution is to pay elon musk a billion dollars to develop a desalination plant that can desalinate sea water for $250@acre feet.
That’s cheap enough to desalinate sea water and pipe it inland for 1500 miles.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.