Posted on Jan 23, 2023
Why heavy winter rain and snow won't be enough to pull the West out of a megadrought
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https://www.npr.org/2023/01/22/ [login to see] /why-heavy-winter-rain-and-snow-wont-be-enough-to-pull-the-west-out-of-a-megadrou
This winter, the West has been slammed by wet weather. Heavy rains have pummeled California, and the Rocky Mountains are getting buried with snow.
That's good news for the Colorado River, where that moisture hints at a possible springtime boost for massive reservoirs that have been crippled by drought. Climate scientists, though, say the 40 million people who use the river's water should take the good news with a grain of salt.
Snow piled high in the Rockies is crucial for the Colorado River — a water lifeline for people from Wyoming to Mexico in an area commonly referred to as the Colorado River Basin. Before water flows through rivers, pipelines and canals to cities and farms across the region, it starts as high-altitude snow. In fact, more than two-thirds of the river begins as snow in Colorado. This year, snowfall totals are well above average, but climate scientists say the winter is far from over and conditions could change bringing less precipitation.
"Everybody is so eager to make an early call on this," said Brad Udall, a water and climate researcher at Colorado State University. "Invariably, you'll get caught with your pants down if you think you know what's going to happen."
This winter, the West has been slammed by wet weather. Heavy rains have pummeled California, and the Rocky Mountains are getting buried with snow.
That's good news for the Colorado River, where that moisture hints at a possible springtime boost for massive reservoirs that have been crippled by drought. Climate scientists, though, say the 40 million people who use the river's water should take the good news with a grain of salt.
Snow piled high in the Rockies is crucial for the Colorado River — a water lifeline for people from Wyoming to Mexico in an area commonly referred to as the Colorado River Basin. Before water flows through rivers, pipelines and canals to cities and farms across the region, it starts as high-altitude snow. In fact, more than two-thirds of the river begins as snow in Colorado. This year, snowfall totals are well above average, but climate scientists say the winter is far from over and conditions could change bringing less precipitation.
"Everybody is so eager to make an early call on this," said Brad Udall, a water and climate researcher at Colorado State University. "Invariably, you'll get caught with your pants down if you think you know what's going to happen."
Why heavy winter rain and snow won't be enough to pull the West out of a megadrought
Posted from npr.org
Climate Change
Science
Colorado State University
Research
Posted >1 y ago
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SGT (Join to see) good day Brother Charlie, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."One proposed facility in Carson, California, would clean up sewage to make it drinkable. The treatment setup is projected to cost $3.4 billion to build. Once completed, it would cost $129 million to operate each year. That new facility aims to redirect up to 150 million gallons back into the municipal water supply in and around Los Angeles.
Water agencies in Nevada and Arizona plan to pitch in, helping pay for the project in exchange for some of Southern California's water. The hefty price tag is just one example of the many new infrastructure costs cities may incur due to climate change.
"We have to be ready," Hagekhalil said, "And it will be on us if we're gonna take the right actions today to invest and build the necessary infrastructure."
Elsewhere around the Colorado River Basin, governments have teased the idea of investing in other ways to augment existing water supplies. Last year, Arizona's then-governor Doug Ducey proposed a deal with Mexico in which the state would fund an ocean desalination plant on the Gulf of California. That would allow Mexico to use the newly-desalted water in exchange for some of Mexico's share from the Colorado River.
Inventive solutions like wastewater reuse and desalination have generated buzz among denizens of the region's parched cities. But water policy analysts say none of them can serve as a silver bullet for those who depend on the shrinking Colorado River. Instead, they say, significant cutbacks to demand are the only way to meet the challenges posed by climate change's impact on water supplies."
..."One proposed facility in Carson, California, would clean up sewage to make it drinkable. The treatment setup is projected to cost $3.4 billion to build. Once completed, it would cost $129 million to operate each year. That new facility aims to redirect up to 150 million gallons back into the municipal water supply in and around Los Angeles.
Water agencies in Nevada and Arizona plan to pitch in, helping pay for the project in exchange for some of Southern California's water. The hefty price tag is just one example of the many new infrastructure costs cities may incur due to climate change.
"We have to be ready," Hagekhalil said, "And it will be on us if we're gonna take the right actions today to invest and build the necessary infrastructure."
Elsewhere around the Colorado River Basin, governments have teased the idea of investing in other ways to augment existing water supplies. Last year, Arizona's then-governor Doug Ducey proposed a deal with Mexico in which the state would fund an ocean desalination plant on the Gulf of California. That would allow Mexico to use the newly-desalted water in exchange for some of Mexico's share from the Colorado River.
Inventive solutions like wastewater reuse and desalination have generated buzz among denizens of the region's parched cities. But water policy analysts say none of them can serve as a silver bullet for those who depend on the shrinking Colorado River. Instead, they say, significant cutbacks to demand are the only way to meet the challenges posed by climate change's impact on water supplies."
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Good article. The heavy precipitation temporarily helps the situation, but there are additional issues. Climate change, increased demand and uncertainty of resupply means that the western area of USA still needs to find more permanent solutions.
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