Colorado and the West is running out of water . . . (Denver: taxes, living)

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Hell, most of us were supposed to have starved to death 30 years ago.

The Population Bomb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fu...ail/book_id/91


When the American West runs out of water, we'll all know about it because people will start leaving.

The Arkansas River Basin is still producing plenty of water. Kaw Lake http://www.kawlake.com/homepage/ is currently 98.75% full http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/KAWL.lakepage.html and only a few miles downstream from Kaw, Keystone Lake http://www.lasr.net/pages/lake.php?Lake_ID=OK03lk006 (broken link) is 85% full http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/KEYS.lakepage.html with the Tulsas Metro Area drinking from it.

[CMartel2]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

from the Denver Post today, Shell oil is moving to secure water rights from the Yampa River to support oil shale projects. Should be interesting to follow that story as things move forward...wasting natural resources to produce another which will be wasted again. Good plan!

How is using shale "wasting" a natural resource? It seems to me that by definition, it's only a resource because it's being utilized. With as much shale as we have in this country, it's about freaking time somebody started putting it to use.

[Shuffler]

Shale is a net loser, it's been proven before and will be proven again. Takes more energy to produce than what it yields in return, just like corn-based Ethanol. So yes, it's a stupid idea to think that shale development is a good idea. Getting people out of their cars would be a more productive activity to focus on. We're addicted to oil because we're addicted to an automobile-dependent way of life.

[Bideshi]

Sadly, you are quite correct. Shale is not going to get out of the ground at today's prices. It is costly to extract.

[Idunn]

Apparently some people prefer to believe there isn't a water problem until they turn on their tap at home . . . and nothing comes forth.

This is already a significant problem, as even a brief perusal of the many posts here will reveal. Those wishing to believe otherwise will likely continue to do so until rudely reminded otherwise by Mother Nature. But it might be noted that the waters of the Colorado river are already over spoken for. Also that, believe it or not, Colorado resides in a semi-arid region, and the climate trend is that this region will become drier, not wetter.

Oh, by the way, the truly sustainable level of humanity in a world of some 6.6 billion souls, and projected to reach 9 billion in a few decades, is roughly 2.5 billion. That alone, and small chance it will ever be seriously addressed, makes all the rest of this of only academic interest.

[Shuffler]

One of many last hurrahs for the Bush administration...slipping this type of thing under the radar at the last minute...

BLM allows oil shale demonstration in West - The Denver Post

What a waste.

[kerrymac]

Um how about we lay some pipes down like a Alaska pipe line but for water.
I am sure there are states around colorado that have "to much water" so maybe a smarter person then I can come up with a answer. Cause it seem to me in a world were we can do almost anything we put our minds to I think we can come up with a pipeline solution, no?
I mean there seems to be snow everywere so snow melt and goes somewere under ground, find it !

[Josseppie]

If you want to pay for it! The cost of the southern delivery system from Pueblo to Colorado Springs is 1.2 billion (at least) and thats only 30 miles.

[kerrymac]

Well if we dont come up with a solution, in the long run it will cost far more in $$$ and lives so....people should start thinking soon.
Thats if Colorado is "truly" running out of water that is.

[Josseppie]

Colorado is not running out of water, certain cities maybe but not the state as a whole. Where I live, Pueblo, we have enough water for a city of 500,000 and buying more so we can handle a city the size of 750,000 people and we are only 100,000.