Colorado and the West is running out of water . . . (Denver: dental, property)

[jazzlover]

The latest Drought Forecasts from the Climate Prediction Center are out and the situation is looking bleak for Colorado and most of the Rocky Mountain West for the first part of the winter. October was abnormally dry and warm for nearly the whole region, aggravating already low soil moisture from the Plains to the high mountains. Reservoir storage continues to deplete, with many irrigation reservoirs statewide now near empty. There is considerable concern that there is now insufficient water to maintain even minimum streamflows to keep fish alive in many significant Colorado creeks and rivers.

We have passed the point where anything short of an very wet winter will bring reservoir levels and streamflows to anything remotely close to normal next year. A below normal winter snowpack this winter, according to a water expert friend of mine, would bring "unprecedented hardship" to Colorado agriculture and tourism industries, as well a fomenting a true water crisis for many municipalities. This next year could be the "deal-changer" that finally shows that Colorado and the states that depend on Colorado for their water supplies have grown beyond the ability of those water supplies to be reliable. That would have ramifications that most people, especially the recent transplants from more well-watered areas, can't even imagine.

From my own experience, I've lived in this region my whole life. I've never seen conditions this bad--not even in the record-setting drought of 1976-1977.

Oh, and without a wet winter, the fire potential next year will make the big fires of 2012 look like a pin prick.

[Idunn]

"This could be a major, major impact at crisis level," said Debra Colbert, senior vice president of the Waterways Council, a public-policy organization representing ports and shipping companies. "It is an economic crisis that is going to ripple across the nation at a time when we're trying to focus on recovery." [1]


One may not think it when within Rocky Mountain National Park, but the waters of the small brook and larger clear mountain river will eventually reach the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico past New Orleans, if not diverted first. Or those downstream increasingly having an interest in this water first born from the snow of a Colorado winter.

In the next month the highly important barge traffic on the mid-Mississippi below St. Louis, MO, to the confluence of the Ohio River at Cairo, IL, may come to a complete standstill due lack of enough water. As usually 60 percent of Mississippi water volume below St. Louis is derived from the Missouri River, there is presently contention between transportation and other interest of the Mississippi versus the Army Corp of Engineers and upstream states along the Missouri, who contend that what remains in the Missouri must be retained towards hydropower, agriculture, etc., instead of used to increase the level of the Mississippi. With the widespread drought in the Midwest, not to mention the Rocky Mountain West, the Missouri River's water is all the more important, and currently providing 78 percent of the Mississippi's volume below St. Louis.

Two major Colorado rivers flow into the Mississippi River, but in this context only the Platte River matters, as the Arkansas River's confluence is further south in southeastern Arkansas near Dumas, AR. However the Platte River is one of the major tributaries of the Missouri, at their confluence about 10 miles south of Omaha, NE, fourth in volume of the Missouri's ten main tributaries, behind the Yellowstone, Osage, and nearly equal to the Kansas River. Its headwaters reside in Colorado beyond Fairplay, with the South Platte, in the region of Walden in Jackson County with the North Platte, and in such as the St. Vrain, Big Thompson, and Cache la Poudre flowing down out of RMNP, joining the South Platte east of Greeley.

A cessation of barge traffic on the Mississippi River will effect the economy of the entire United States, and welfare of all citizens. Should Colorado suffer a dry winter similar to 2011/2012 many severe adjustments will be necessary within this state. But the effects will be felt downstream as well, with those elsewhere presuming some right to this water. As time passes the climate in this state is not only likely to become drier, but its remaining water all the more valuable to many, a good number not Coloradoans or necessarily with this state's best interests at heart.

1) 'Mighty Mississippi slowed to a crawl as Missouri water ebbs,' The Seattle Times
Mighty Mississippi slowed to a crawl as Missouri water ebbs | Nation & World | The Seattle Times

[proveick]

Maybe divert the Missouri river.
Missouri River pipeline mulled to ease Front Range's water woes - The Denver Post

[Idunn]

"Bureau of Reclamation officials on Tuesday said the "Missouri River Reuse Project" will be evaluated for feasibility following the release in coming weeks of a federal government study on water supply for the West . . . The government's three-year Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study has found that within 50 years, the annual water deficit will reach 3.5 million acre-feet." [1]


It is unlikely anyone will want to give Colorado water from the Missouri River.

The Missouri River is customarily the source for 60 percent of Mississippi River volume below St. Louis. The good news is that the water level is not dropping as fast as anticipated, so barge traffic on the Mississippi will not be impeded as early as Sunday or Monday. Nevertheless, the 9 foot level between St. Louis and Cairo, IL—at which point big problems occur—will likely be reached about December 29, and then dropping another foot by January 2, 2013. [2]

Already there are calls to release more water held in reservoirs along the Missouri River towards sustaining adequate shipping levels in the Mississippi. It seems unlikely anyone downstream is going to look kindly on Colorado wishing to divert ANY Missouri River water towards lawns, golf courses, and other municipal uses.

If anything, they'll probably be thinking more Colorado water via the Platte River should end up helping them.

1) 'Missouri River pipeline mulled to ease Front Range's water woes,' The Denver Post
Missouri River pipeline mulled to ease Front Range's water woes - The Denver Post

2) 'Mississippi River dropping slower than expected,' Bloomberg Businessweek
Mississippi River dropping slower than expected - Businessweek

[sbelvedere]

I have a very high doubt that anyone in the midwest would ever consent to the diversion of water to the southwest. After watching their populations flock to the sunbelt just to run out of water for lawns and golf courses, I think their (very logical) answer would be to move the people back to the water, not vice versa.

It does make me curious to see what happens in the Denver suburbs if water runs lower. Does anyone know what the water situations are like in general for Adams/Douglas/Arapahoe counties on the eastern side of Denver versus Jefferson/Boulder counties to the west? Is Denver county more like the east or west?

[wingedspindletree]

just happened on this NY times article (from Sept.) and wanted to pass it along....
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/us...1&ref=colorado

[Shuffler]

Water deficit worsening in the West, Salazar and top regulators say - The Denver Post

[CosmicWizard]

A quote from the article above:

A hotter, drier climate is worsening the imbalance between water supply and rising demand in seven Western states where 40 million people depend on the Colorado River, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday after completion of a three-year study.

Many of us posting in this thread have drawn similar conclusions without the expense of a 3 year study. Another example of wasted taxpayer money! Whatever happened to common sense.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

A quote from the article above:

A hotter, drier climate is worsening the imbalance between water supply and rising demand in seven Western states where 40 million people depend on the Colorado River, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday after completion of a three-year study.

Many of us posting in this thread have drawn similar conclusions without the expense of a 3 year study. Another example of wasted taxpayer money! Whatever happened to common sense.

The real problem is that, no matter whether it is me, you, or an official study that says it, nobody wants to acknowledge the truth: there is inadequate water for the population already in place in most of the West, much less any more. Hell, that truth was evident to me when I read "Cadillac Desert" way back in the 1980's.

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

A quote from the article above:

A hotter, drier climate is worsening the imbalance between water supply and rising demand in seven Western states where 40 million people depend on the Colorado River, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Wednesday after completion of a three-year study.

Many of us posting in this thread have drawn similar conclusions without the expense of a 3 year study. Another example of wasted taxpayer money! Whatever happened to common sense.

No kidding.

Hopefully the decision makers can remember that conservation will cost us nothing. That's the free fix to this problem...or at least a way to fend it off.

It's so simple that even an average dolt like me can understand...but I'm not confident given comments like this from the Denver Water guy:

"While this is a critical issue for Colorado, we have time to approach solutions thoughtfully," Lochhead said. "We don't need to pursue drastic solutions in the short-term."

Wow.