Central Plains Water Compact Pitched: 22 Inch Water Pipeline (Drinking Straw) from Missippi West; to Take 1/2 of 1% of Old Miss’ Water (ColoradoWaterExaminer)

Feb.16, 2009 in Water Management

(Feb. 15, 2009, The Colorado Water Examiner)

Mining engineer and hay farmer Gary Hausler was at a recent meeting of the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable pitching the idea for a 22 inch water pipeline from the Mississippi River west. The proposal would divert less than one half of one percent of the Mississippi’s flows and could benefit every state it crosses on its way to Colorado.

Pat Mulroy — General Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority — is pushing a similar project to President Obama’s administration. She proposes to use the Mississippi to recharge the Ogallala aquifer.

Colorado’s population is expected to grow by a few million or so over the next few decades and the water would be used to avoid drying up agriculture. For the farm states the water would be used to offset groundwater pumping and for aquifer recharge.

Hausler estimates costs at around $22.5 billion. The project will require federal dough and federal clout for the permitting process across the states.

One other consideration is that the project doesn’t involve out of basin transfers of water.

(Original Article Here)