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Conserving Water, One Toilet At A Time

Midwest Getting Wetter, Southwest Getting Drier = OPPORTUNITY: Pat Mulroy Mulls Mississippi River Water Diversion En Route to Las Vegas (John Laumer, Treehugger)

Mar.02, 2009 in Drought, Public Works, Water Industry, Water Management

(March 2, 2009, John Laumer, Treehugger)

The Las Vegas Review-Journal cites the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority saying ‘now may be the time to take a serious look at a decades-old idea of capturing floodwater from the Mississippi River and using it to recharge the massive groundwater aquifer beneath the Central Plains.’

Was She Floating A Trial Water-Balloon?
The SNWA general manager, Patricia Mulroy, laid this idea out at a Washington DC planning conference last month – possibly with an eye toward capturing stimulus funds or a garnering a Federal appropriation. Better have a 3-Aces lobbying firm on hand to gamble Las Vegas’ future on that idea

The thirst-factor is easily understood. As the Western Water Czarina explained at the conference:

“We can’t conserve our way out of a massive Colorado River drought. We can’t desalt our way out of a massive Colorado River drought,” Mulroy said. “If the West is growing drier and the Midwest is growing wetter, I see that as an opportunity.”Note: the ‘we can’t conserve‘ mentality.

First Mississippi Flood Water, Then Lake Superior
Anyone remember the old Domino Theory? Seems to have applicability here. Suppose the project goes forward in a few decades. One spring, the ‘Mrs Miller’ River doesn’t flood. Hmmm. Lake Superior is only a skip and a jump from the River – wheee! Goodbye Great Lakes.

The domino theory was a foreign policy theory, promoted by the government of the United States, that speculated that if one land in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect. The domino effect suggests that some change, small in itself, will cause a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on in linear sequence, by analogy to a falling row of dominoes standing on end.There are other ways to provide ‘adult entertainment’ to America that do not involve massive, inter-state water diversions. People might support local casinos and local entertainment venues, for example, skipping the flight to LV. Trains with casino cars would be fun, too.

Of course, the elephant in the room, the big animal one no one wants to talk about in Las Vegas, anyhow, is that another casino town with more water in its future might steal market share (as pictured above) if Vegas goes dry.

Even if Las Vegas was dealt a good hand by the 2009 US Congress [Harry Reid], another casino town man ["The Donald"], seeing the Colorado River drought as his Lady Luck, could “trump” it.

(Original Post Here)