What if Houston could sell the water in the Barker and Addicks reservoirs? (El Paso: transplants, construction)

[HookTheBrotherUp]

<SUSPEND DISBELIEF>

Ha! This may sound crazy, but what if Houston could sell the water that is in the reservoirs instead of letting it all go to the Gulf? What if Houston could team up with the pipeline companies and pump the waters from the reservoirs to distant locations that could use the water for recreation?

I work for an oil company, and I know there are massive pipeline systems that go to all parts of West Texas and other locations across the country. The systems are meant to pump crude, or other petroleum liquids, but they could technically be able to pump water just as easily.

Now, I'm not an engineer of course, I know the systems are not compatible, but they would have to be customized perhaps. I also know that the oil companies have systems in place already to separate oil from water, so we know the oil can be removed, or most of it. A lot of oil would evaporate on its own, oil being a 'natural' product. People could not drink it of course, not before being cleaned up mechanically, and/or chemically.

There was so much water that fell on Houston during Harvey, enough to match Lake Michigan, think about that. If you've ever seen it, it is like being in an ocean.

I'm getting off subject, I'm sure engineers could figure out a way to make it work, but its nice to dream about it I guess. Being from El Paso, I'd vote to send it to that area, create a new recreation area, or even fill up some of the old dry beds, and make a buck in the process... sure beats having to increase taxes by almost 10%!

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I'd call it a stupid idea myself, but there are many things that exist today which many thought was stupid initially. For example, it was thought that a human could not go more than 30 miles an hour when trains first appeared.

[Zhang Fei]

It would be nice if Houston built more reservoirs and ended the use of aquifer water. Some of the flooding is probably due to soil subsidence from draining the aquifers below the city. As the population grows, reservoir construction needs to keep up to meet Houston's water needs.

[Dopo]

I believe that's called a "dam"

Only thing that comes to mind with this is what Phoenix has
https://www.cap-az.com/

[lipbalm]

This makes me think about one time some suggested water from the Great Lakes could be sent to the dry and thirsty west. Michigan was not amused. Haha

[txdemo]

We could also make a human chain of CD posters and hand it bucket by bucket to California.

[Houston parent]

I have joked about that before. However, water is not as valuable as oil or natural gas, and the supply we could pump would be intermittent. Therefore, I'm guessing that there would never be a sufficient return on investment to warrant a pipeline out somewhere like Midland/Odessa where they would probably want the water.

[Dopo]

Or we can save it, until we have a drought, and then flood the city

[WRM20]

If you do the math, the 14,000 cfs that was the peak release from Addicks and Barker dams is 215 million barrels per day. That's 100 times more than the capacity of the trans Alaska Pipeline. Then consider that the peak release from Lake Conroe was 80,000 cfs, and the peak inflow to Lake Houston was 400,000 cfs. Those are huge quantities.

[Enean]

Originally Posted by Houston parent

I have joked about that before. However, water is not as valuable as oil or natural gas, and the supply we could pump would be intermittent. Therefore, I'm guessing that there would never be a sufficient return on investment to warrant a pipeline out somewhere like Midland/Odessa where they would probably want the water.

You might want to rethink that statement. As time continues, water will become more and more valuable.

https://www.wateronline.com/doc/suez...uable-oil-0001

http://citywire.co.uk/money/monday-p...n-oil/a1001955

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by lipbalm

This makes me think about one time some suggested water from the Great Lakes could be sent to the dry and thirsty west. Michigan was not amused. Haha

But Houston would be amused. Anything to get rid of this water!

Building more reservoirs would be perfect for drought periods (like earlier in the decade) and a pipeline out West would be perfect for flood periods (like right now)!

Michigan doesn't want to subsidize population growth in Arizona since most transplants are Great Lakes/Midwesterners and their population is declining or stagnant. Texas is growing about the same rate as Arizona, California, and Florida so that disturbing subsidy is not traumatic to us.