Feds launch Water 2025 to address western water crisis

LandscapeManagement.com ^ | June 13, 2003 | LM Week in Review

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Washington, DC — The Department of Interior (DOI) is launching a new initiative to address the water crisis growing in the West.

The program is called "Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West." It calls for concentrating financial and technical resources in the West, in areas where explosive population growth is certain to spawn more water conflicts.

"Crisis management is not an effective solution for addressing long-term, systematic water supply problems," said Norton. "Water 2025 recognizes that states, tribes, and local gov-ernments should have a leading role in meeting these chal-lenges."

The Irrigation Association says Water 2025 is good news for the irrigation industry. Funds will be ear-marked for the installation and implementation of new water management technologies—such as new water-conserving irrigation tech-nologies. Additional funds will go to water conservation and desalination projects—allowing the West to stretch and expand its water resources.

The DOI will hold eight regional conferences to initiate a dialogue with communities. The goal is to identify the watersheds facing the greatest potential risk in the next 25 years, evaluate the most effective ways of addressing water supply challenges, and recommend cooperative planning approaches and tools that have the most likelihood of success. Following are the conference locations and contact information.

Phoenix, AZ, Tuesday, July 8, Bob Walsh 702-293-8421

Las Vegas, NV, Wednesday, July 9, Bob Walsh 702/293-8421

Sacramento, CA, Thursday, July 10, Jeff McCracken 916/978-5101

Salt Lake City, UT, Wednesday, July 16, Dave Trueman 801/524-3759

Boise, ID, Thursday, July 17, Diana Cross 208/378-5020

Billings, MT, Tuesday, July 29, Mark Andersen 406/247-7609

Albuquerque, NM, Tuesday, August 12, Dave Trueman 801/524-3759

Austin, TX, Thursday, August 14, Mark Andersen 406/247-7609

[Willie Green]

Related thread: Tampa Bay Water joins desalination coalition

[Captainpaintball]

Try getting some of the water back from Mexico. They owe us!

[ckilmer]

My favorite idea for water desalination is a tunnel dug out horizontally into the ocean by an oil drilling rig. The rig would be one of those oil rigs that has the ability to dig down and then horizontally for a mile or more. At the end of the pipe in the ocean is an RO device that uses water pressure to force the water through the RO and then the fresh water flows downhill toward land through a hole dug and lined by the oil drilling rig. At x distance inland the water flowing downhill turns the turbines of an electric generator which in turn pumps the water to the surface.

No extra energy is needed.

[Carry_Okie]

No extra energy is needed.

It's outrageously expensive and it won't work.

Other than that it's a good idea.