[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tek_Freek View Post
Posters talk about a pipeline from the Mississippi to the Colorado then the mountains are mentioned. So either dig one hell of a tunnel through the Rockies, or pipe it from Washington and Oregon. Might be easier. Might not. ...
That's why I wrote this in another forum:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike from back east View Post
... We built the 800-mile Alaska oil pipeline under hurry-up conditions, in a dreadful climate, across pristine lands, but we can't build an 835-mile water pipeline to move some of the mammoth flow of the Columbia River from Boardman, OR (elevation 308 feet) to drop it into the COLO River at Moab, UT (elevation 4026 feet) where it can flow down to Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The Columbia River has a huge average flow of 265,000 cubic feet of water PER SECOND compared to 22,500 cubic feet of water per second for the Colorado River. ... Nor can we find the courage to put canopies over top thousands of miles of canals to stop evaporation and put solar panels on the canopies to generate electricity lost to low water flows in the river systems and/or to power the pumps. .....
There is no shortage of solutions, just a huge cesspool of political cowardice and corruption.

Time for some math. The Colorado flowing at 22,500 cubic feet per second is 4,007 barrels per second. The capacity of the Trans Alaska Pipeline is 2 million barrels per day. That means the Colorado flows the entire daily capacity pf TAPS in 499 seconds, or 8.3 minutes. Transporting that 22,500 cubic feet per second would require 173 TAPS equivalents. Total pressure to overcome the elevation is about 1700psi, so staging the lift would be required to reduce the need for very strong pipe.

None of that is currently practical.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Time for some math. The Colorado flowing at 22,500 cubic feet per second is 4,007 barrels per second. The capacity of the Trans Alaska Pipeline is 2 million barrels per day. That means the Colorado flows the entire daily capacity pf TAPS in 499 seconds, or 8.3 minutes. Transporting that 22,500 cubic feet per second would require 173 TAPS equivalents. Total pressure to overcome the elevation is about 1700psi, so staging the lift would be required to reduce the need for very strong pipe.

None of that is currently practical.

Good grief, I'm not talking about piping enough water to equal the flow of the Colorado River, I was pointing out that the rate of flow of the Columbia is ten times that of the Colorado so tapping into some of that huge flow should be an option, else it all flows into the Pacific. Getting a few million barrels per day of that water would be a big help, at least I think so.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Good grief, I'm not talking about piping enough water to equal the flow of the Colorado River, I was pointing out that the rate of flow of the Columbia is ten times that of the Colorado so tapping into some of that huge flow should be an option, else it all flows into the Pacific. Getting a few million barrels per day of that water would be a big help, at least I think so.

There would have to be a significant percentage of Colorado River flow moved to refill Lake Mead, as well as make an impact on power generation and water supply. TAPS can flow 2 million barrels per day, which is 0.58% of total Colorado River flow. Providing 10% of that flow would require 17 TAPS equivalents of capacity. I'm just not seeing that as feasible, wither from an engineering standpoint or an economic standpoint. Especially with the elevation change. Pushing water uphill is difficult.

The difficulty here is understanding just how much water flows in these river systems, and trying to equate that to oil flow. It would be far more effective to prevent poor usage of water by eliminating water intensive crops, unnecessary uses by lawns and golf courses, and other use by water intensive industry.

[Wire4money]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Posters talk about a pipeline from the Mississippi to the Colorado then the mountains are mentioned. So either dig one hell of a tunnel through the Rockies, or pipe it from Washington and Oregon. Might be easier. Might not.


Or tell the nanny state to build some desalination plants. It's time to act like adults and take some responsibility.

Oregon and Washington are also in a drought. The reservoirs in central Oregon are in worse shape than Lake Mead.

[BBMW]

Carpet the desert with solar generating capacity. Run the generated power to desalination plants on the CA coastline. Have CA use that water, and reallocate the remaining Colorado river water to the upstream states.

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Carpet the desert with solar generating capacity. Run the generated power to desalination plants on the CA coastline. Have CA use that water, and reallocate the remaining Colorado river water to the upstream states.

The California Coastal Commission does not allow desalination plants.See this article, for example.

[BBMW]

Do under federal law/mandate, overrule CA. Or just deallocate the equivalent amount of Colorado river water from California, and suggest they legislative remove this authority from the Coastal Commission, and build desal plants on their own to make up the water. If they don't, it's their problem.

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

The California Coastal Commission does not allow desalination plants.See this article, for example.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

The California Coastal Commission does not allow desalination plants.See this article, for example.

I read about half of the article. Sounds like NIMBY BS to me.

Originally Posted by BBMW

Do under federal law/mandate, overrule CA. Or just deallocate the equivalent amount of Colorado river water from California, and suggest they legislative remove this authority from the Coastal Commission, and build desal plants on their own to make up the water. If they don't, it's their problem.

Or suggest that the wealthy desert residents move elsewhere. I am tired of their faux environmentalism/virtue signaling.

[Cold Warrior]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

I read about half of the article. Sounds like NIMBY BS to me.
Or suggest that the wealthy desert residents move elsewhere. I am tired of their faux environmentalism/virtue signaling.

The remarkable thing about the proposed desalination plant was that it was to be on the grounds of the existing Huntington Beach power plant - a industrial site and not a stretch of pristine coastline.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

The remarkable thing about the proposed desalination plant was that it was to be on the grounds of the existing Huntington Beach power plant - a industrial site and not a stretch of pristine coastline.

Funny how the enviros want to restrict every one else's life style, and pull up the draw bridge so no one else can equal what they have? The flip side of "keeping up with the Joneses.