End of the road for Lake Mead??
Quote: Ace2Why not desalinate seawater?Quote: ChumpChangeWhy fix the power supply when you're about to run out of water too? Hoover Dam could go below 950 feet 2 summers from now, and run out of water downstream one summer after that. Of course it all depends on the winter season and no amount of conservation will save the southwest at this point. They can try. But they could just spike water & power bills until only the rich and their mansions remain.
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Expense -it takes a lot of heat/electricity. And disposal of the waste salt.
That said, water is the much bigger problem than the electricity generated at Hoover dam. We can't conserve our way out of this. In my opinion, we need to cut the water subsidy for desert farming in California. Of course, California will oppose that.
It's time the federal government prioritizes this problem as the south-western states are unlikely to agree on anything.
Quote: WizardSince this topic is very pertinent to Las Vegas, discussion of it is fine.
That said, water is the much bigger problem than the electricity generated at Hoover dam. We can't conserve our way out of this. In my opinion, we need to cut the water subsidy for desert farming in California. Of course, California will oppose that.
It's time the federal government prioritizes this problem as the south-western states are unlikely to agree on anything.
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I'm really surprised that you say water is a much bigger problem than the electricity generated. These problems are equal. And they go hand in hand.
For a start i suspect you are unaware of the rolling blackout problems in California?
Quote: WizardSince this topic is very pertinent to Las Vegas, discussion of it is fine.
[...]
It's time the federal government prioritizes this problem as the south-western states are unlikely to agree on anything.
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The docket of the Supreme Court of the US is chock-full of original jurisdiction cases all related to water, and the Colorado River features greatly in a lot of them.
IANAL, but I do wander through SCOTUSblog a lot.
As far as the Feds are concerned, there's a thicket of "compacts, federal laws, court decisions and decrees, contracts and regulatory guidelines collectively known as 'the Law of the River'" - Wikipedia entry for "Colorado River Compact" I'm not sure what the Feds can realistically do to change anything. The Compact went into operation in 1922, and involves seven US states. Mexico is mentioned (though obviously not a part of the Compact)
Today's Las Vegas Advisor Question of the Day is "With increasing water shortages, which may also lead to reduced power capability, when do you think Las Vegas will no longer be viable? Especially considering the amount of both used along the Strip." Lots of stats, lots of quotes from Important Officials. Informative for those of us getting hammered by storms every day out East.
One of the things to remember is the profile of Lake Mead. The walls of the lake aren't vertical, but do slope inward. Thus, the volume required to drop the lake level a foot becomes less and less the further the level drops. Yeah, it's really tough right now, and nobody knows if the Lake is going to dead pool or when.
"The surface of Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, now stands at 1,045 feet above sea level. It’s forecast to drop more than 26 feet by July 2023. If Lake Mead were to keep dropping, the level would eventually approach a danger zone at 895 feet,..."
That gives us about 6 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YYAMlncQ_M
Quote: AlanMendelson
For a start i suspect you are unaware of the rolling blackout problems in California?
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Most of that is California's own doing. Watch "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" for some details. Back around 2000 CA "deregulated" electricity, the quotes there because the deregulation created lots of regulations that could be worked for a killer profit. It was complex with traders staying up all night finding loopholes for the next day. They worked the system well, like a concierge at a Vegas hotel reserving every table in the popular steakhouse so guests could not get a table. Then they see him and he "sees what he can do" and when he does get them a table they give a huge tip. All for the table shortage the same guy created.
IMHO the problem is the entire southwest which I will include CA as a part of is unsustainable. Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque are all in a desert, not fit for large scale human settlement. All that agriculture in CA is fed by the water from Lake Mead, which we are seeing worked for 100 years but you can only play that game for so long. Finally, coastal CA is simply overpopulated to the point it does not function properly.
Perhaps lots of that agriculture moves to places like Mississippi where there is plenty of water. Vegas is constricted from sprawl by federal land holdings around it. Phoenix can sprawl forever but one day that will end. It is already getting simply too large and too gridlocked.
Time will tell.
Quote: WizardSince this topic is very pertinent to Las Vegas, discussion of it is fine.
That said, water is the much bigger problem than the electricity generated at Hoover dam. We can't conserve our way out of this. In my opinion, we need to cut the water subsidy for desert farming in California. Of course, California will oppose that.
It's time the federal government prioritizes this problem as the south-western states are unlikely to agree on anything.
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It is tougher with water than electricity. Electricity you just make more. Water is what it is. I agree on the CA farming. You have to drive across CA to really appreciate how much of that there is.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: AlanMendelson
For a start i suspect you are unaware of the rolling blackout problems in California?
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Most of that is California's own doing. Watch "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" for some details. Back around 2000 CA "deregulated" electricity, the quotes there because the deregulation created lots of regulations that could be worked for a killer profit.
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Ummm... 2000 was 22 years ago.
The problem today is too much growth, too little investment in new facilities and the closure of a nuclear power plant in the LA metro area.
(Doesn't sound like a great option though)
