Colorado and the West is running out of water . . . (Denver: closing, assessment)

[04JETTA]

My mom was saying that CO sends water to CA is this true? that may explain why they are running out

[Ounce]

If the population keeps increasing in Colorado and some other Western States and if mining continues, mining uses plenty of water, then more reservoirs need to be built and or pipelines to bring ocean water. If you use ocean water then desalination plants need to be built near the ocean. Most of the Western states with federal help could finance this.

But water should not be wasted. Green lawns in desert regions really does not make much sense. People should plant artificial grass. And leave the water for agriculture.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Ounce

If the population keeps increasing in Colorado and some other Western States and if mining continues, mining uses plenty of water, then more reservoirs need to be built and or pipelines to bring ocean water. If you use ocean water then desalination plants need to be built near the ocean. Most of the Western states with federal help could finance this.

More stupid dreaming. De-desalinization takes massive amounts of energy. As it stands now, the slightest uptick in the economy will trigger another massive surge in energy prices. Piling more demand for energy for something like desalinization would only hasten the US's growing dependence on foreign sources while more quickly depleting our domestic sources of energy. Oh, and the statement that the federal government could pay for such a program--with what? Where the hell do people think that money will come from? It will either come from the American people in the form of higher taxes or massive inflation. The amount of complete delusion in many people in this country is truly frightening.

[Idunn]

Spend any time driving across the west and it becomes imminently clear to what degree water defines life. It is paramount. Areas such as the White river in northwest Colorado, east of Meeker, CO, demonstrate this so well. The course of the river is defined by a sinuous line of green, of cottonwood trees, willows and grasses. Green meadows on either side on the flat, often narrow, valley floor, defined abruptly by brown and dry hillsides of sage and other plants which require little water.

Just west of Logan, UT the valley is often marshy and wet, with pools of standing water surrounded and intermixed with cattails and other aquatic plants. A wetland haven for birds and other wildlife. This from the circuitous outflow of nearby Bear Lake. Yet the surrounding hills and mountains to both east and west are as brown and dry as those of some in California customarily are. The only difference, the mountains to the west of Logan reside at a higher elevation, thus interspersed with patches of green in bushes and evergreen trees in some of the more hospitable defiles. Otherwise, dry.

Then of course a place such as Las Vegas, NV, which would be uniformly brown and very dry, with any green present largely manufactured by man in importing the water. The Owens Valley, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, near Mono Lake, was an area of lush orchards at one time, before Los Angeles contrived to buy and remove most of their water. Salt Lake City, UT wanted to build a reservoir to store and remove water from near Logan, and the citizens there said no. The citizens of Wyoming may tell the people of front range Colorado the same thing, that they cannot tranship and take water from the Green river.

All of this is a question of give and take. Even in a region as often wet as the Pacific Northwest, there are issues with water usage, in how much allowed other species, such as salmon. It is only more apparent in the inter-mountain West because generally semi-arid, thus apparent in a natural state where water is or not, to what degree, and how much. It can be, and has, quantified in how many cubic feet flow in rivers, the approximate size of underlying aquifers, the amount of annual precipitation, etc. We start with this, how much water there is in total, then the equation of how much is used, where, and by whom. We are not, of course, the only species which depend on these waters for survival, not to mention good health and prosperity.

Any of this can be easy to forget or overlook when at home watering the lawn. Our routines can restrict us to small patterns of job, soccer practice, home, the evening meal out. In such venues we know we deal with the known, the expected. Not much changes, and within four air conditioned walls our surroundings can be agreeable, benign, comfortable, with perhaps the only disquiet the news if the television on. In such places, particularly at home, we expect such things as abundant, clean water from our bath and kitchen. Our lawn, and those about town are verdantly green, as expected. The day to day landscaping often done by someone else. Our involvement may amount to nothing more than paying the bills, and perhaps complaining if they too high. If it comes to it we will suffer another bond issue, or support the next reservoir, as these no more than details apparently necessary to support that we have. Just another bill.

But the price paid is not just by the citizens of any particular town, but all the surrounding land, near or far, in the ranches, farms, wetlands, forests, waters, and homes of all others that pay as well. To the degree they are used or taken, they must adjust. Or cannot, and vanish. If the vision and appetites within cities is limitless, they depend upon a natural world, the environment of our planet, that is finite and exists within a balance that can bend, but will also break.

One has but to look to see as much.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Idunn

Spend any time driving across the west and it becomes imminently clear to what degree water defines life. It is paramount. .....

Great post. The problem today is that most people live in metropolitan areas, and most of those people are so disconnected from the natural world that they are complete ignoramuses when it comes to the environment or natural resources. They assume that natural resources are limitless and that technology or money can always fix any deficiency. That is not true, and those folks are going to confront a very harsh and dangerous reality when those "unfixable" deficiencies confront them and imperil their up-to-now seemingly sacrosanct lifestyle. In this part of the country, it is going to be a contest to see if petroleum deficiencies or water deficiencies--either of which could lead to FOOD deficiencies--are what hit us first or hardest. The last 50 years have been the most resource and wealth-abundant years in the history of the planet. That era is ending--rapidly--and it is now only a question of what areas or what people are going to see a big decline in their material standard of living, and how quickly it comes.

[Ticky909]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Great post. The problem today is that most people live in metropolitan areas, and most of those people are so disconnected from the natural world that they are complete ignoramuses when it comes to the environment or natural resources. They assume that natural resources are limitless and that technology or money can always fix any deficiency. That is not true, and those folks are going to confront a very harsh and dangerous reality when those "unfixable" deficiencies confront them and imperil their up-to-now seemingly sacrosanct lifestyle. In this part of the country, it is going to be a contest to see if petroleum deficiencies or water deficiencies--either of which could lead to FOOD deficiencies--are what hit us first or hardest. The last 50 years have been the most resource and wealth-abundant years in the history of the planet. That era is ending--rapidly--and it is now only a question of what areas or what people are going to see a big decline in their material standard of living, and how quickly it comes.

It may seem true because of where they come from. In places with higher precipitation, the goal is to increase and increase resource use so that the most can be made of the resource. That's why major urban areas in fairly water rich areas are susceptible to drought. If they get 70 inches a year on average, then the goal is to use every last drop of that 70, plus the climate is fairly consistant closer to the coast, so why fear. When they get hit with a year of say 60 inches, or maybe a few in a row, they are dumbfounded that they could use too much water, and they have no downstream deals on the coast, necessarily.

The west is generally better at dealing with drought, if we make our base level of use consistant with dry years, then the good years, or average years are surpluses, and that's when the farmers try to scrape out a little extra. However, the influx of people with a different worldview, and a different idea of how resources are used results in 100+ bits of infrastructure dragging water over the mountains so they don't have to readjust, for life adjusts to them.

[Westcliffe]

My family is fortunate to live in the White River Valley where water is not currently a major issue, yet we are cautious with our own use. Just built a house in pinion trees, are on town water, and are NOT doing any grass for starters............ I am sure that jazzlover would not be impressed with our town/wild interface that could go up tomorrow. We built that knowing it could happen though. Back to water, it is unbelievable how Vegas and Phoenix and Denver can come after Western Slope water isn't it?

[Idunn]

"The horse and I slid in [to the algae]," said Petit, who is also trained in veterinary studies. Petit said he watched as his horse stopped breathing and died within about 30 seconds, and then he himself passed out . . . Police initially ruled that the horse suffocated, but a necropsy showed the animal died of an acute pulmonary edema with symptoms "compatible with gaseous intoxication in a brutal manner,"
'The Seattle Times'
Nation & World | French beach toxic enough to kill a horse | Seattle Times Newspaper

If interesting and notable, this account from Brittany, France, on the ocean, might have nothing to do with Colorado save it touches upon industrial farming practices, the release of large amounts of nitrates, and one of the results: algae.

For some months now I have been trying to convince anyone to give a damn about abnormal, heavy algae growth in local rivers, such as the Fall river, directly through the center of Estes Park, CO. Something which spreads upriver, and is even evident, if in less concentration, in the lower reaches within Rocky Mountain National Park.

In looking into this several sources came to light. Here are two. The first a brief overview, the second more comprehensive:

Rocky Mountain National Park Fact Sheet, May 2006
http://www.bouldercounty.org/health/..._factsheet.pdf

Nitrogen Deposition: Issues and Effects in Rocky Mountain National Park
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ap/rmnp/noxtech.pdf

[Ticky909]

Originally Posted by Idunn

"The horse and I slid in [to the algae]," said Petit, who is also trained in veterinary studies. Petit said he watched as his horse stopped breathing and died within about 30 seconds, and then he himself passed out . . . Police initially ruled that the horse suffocated, but a necropsy showed the animal died of an acute pulmonary edema with symptoms "compatible with gaseous intoxication in a brutal manner,"
'The Seattle Times'
Nation & World | French beach toxic enough to kill a horse | Seattle Times Newspaper

If interesting and notable, this account from Brittany, France, on the ocean, might have nothing to do with Colorado save it touches upon industrial farming practices, the release of large amounts of nitrates, and one of the results: algae.

For some months now I have been trying to convince anyone to give a damn about abnormal, heavy algae growth in local rivers, such as the Fall river, directly through the center of Estes Park, CO. Something which spreads upriver, and is even evident, if in less concentration, in the lower reaches within Rocky Mountain National Park.

In looking into this several sources came to light. Here are two. The first a brief overview, the second more comprehensive:

Rocky Mountain National Park Fact Sheet, May 2006
http://www.bouldercounty.org/health/..._factsheet.pdf

Nitrogen Deposition: Issues and Effects in Rocky Mountain National Park
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ap/rmnp/noxtech.pdf

Similar symptoms of Eutrophication are present at the mouth of the Mississippi. There's a 'dead zone' developing there, Fish catches dropping, etc. All that nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer from all over washes down to the mouth of the Mississippi. It's not a surprise that could take place here as well, especially in areas with heavy fertilization. Sometimes you see the fountains in front of stores that are surrounded with fertilized grass spouting nothing but green algae in the air, can't see any water theres 1+ inches of the stuff sitting on top.

[Idunn]

Remember the water Colorado wants to divert to the front range from the Green river in Wyoming, because that state has an excess of water it doesn't need? I'll get to it in a moment.

Australia is in the midst of a drought that began in 2002. The Murray-Darling river basin of south-east Australia provides 40% of its agricultural produce, yet river levels are so low they may halt all agricultural use, limiting use to only drinking water.

While farmers upstream are still growing water intensive crops such as rice and cotton, downstream wine growers are facing severe problems. Adelaide, on the southern coast, relied on the Murray for only 10% of its water 17 years ago, sourcing the rest locally, today it depends on the Murray for 90%.

The State of Australia is considering nationalizing the Murray-Darling water, removing it from the contentious control of the four Australian states involved, so the water more rationally allocated.

By 2025 1.8 billion people will live in areas affected by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population facing water stress. Rich countries, such as Australia, are expected to weather this more easily than developing nations, many expected to be severely affected, but every nation on earth will be impacted by climate change.

Roughly 30 million people presently depend on the water of the Colorado river. This river system is in the 10th year of a drought that began in 2000. With more than a dozen dams along its length, total storage capacity is 60 million acre feet, or four times present annual usage. Thus chances of a full reservoir depletion are expected low through 2026. Yet under current practices, the chances of depleting all reservoirs rises seven-fold between 2026 and 2057.

Due demand, natural evaporation, and climate change, there is presently a water deficit in the Colorado river system of nearly 1 million acre-feet. There is a 50% chance Lake Mead could run dry by 2021. Presently the Colorado system is beyond its sustainable limit. It is projected that the system could run dry even if proposed mitigation measures are implemented. Thus, there will be societal and economic disruptions.

The Green river is a major tributary of the Colorado river. Colorado will be dealing with more than just Wyoming in seeking its water.

"Australia has warned that it will have to switch off the water supply to the continent's food bowl unless heavy rains break an epic drought - heralding what could be the first climate change-driven disaster to strike a developed nation."
Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim - Australasia, World - The Independent

"Climate change and Australia’s worst drought in a century are partly to blame. But the river system that covers two-thirds of Australia’s irrigated farming land is also suffering from decades of overuse."
South Australia's water shortage: In need of a miracle | The Economist

"We cannot expect mankind to change its eating habits overnight, so it is evident that the agriculture and water sector have to join forces and drastically reduce by at least 50 percent the use of water to produce our future food requirements," he declared."
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

"But the more severe the drying with climate change, the more likely we will see shortages and perhaps empty reservoirs despite our best efforts." Nowak said. "The important thing is not to get lulled into a sense of safety or security with the near-term resiliency of the Colorado River basin water supply. If we do, we're in for a rude awakening."
Future Of Western U.S. Water Supply Threatened By Climate Change

“We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us,” said Barnett. “Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest.”
Lake Mead, Key Water Source For Southwestern US, Could Be Dry By 2021