A pipeline from the Columbia River, 1,000 miles from Lake Mead, is a non-starter. I listened to a presentation by Pat Mulroy, former head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, not too long ago. She laid out an elegant, functional solution and economically sound proposal. I summarize it as:
The American Southwest needs bold water solutions, and one of the most promising may be hiding in plain sight. Within the next decade, policymakers should seriously evaluate construction of a 70-mile canal linking the Sea of Cortez to the Salton Sea. Seawater imported through the canal would stabilize and restore the shrinking Salton Sea while creating the foundation for a new regional water supply system.
The Salton Sea sits atop one of North America’s most productive geothermal resources. Geothermal energy could provide reliable, carbon-free power for large-scale desalination facilities located along the sea’s shoreline. Instead of relying on increasingly scarce Colorado River supplies stored in Lake Mead, desalinated water could be produced continuously and delivered through a 40-mile canal to the Imperial Valley.
This approach would address three challenges simultaneously: restoring the Salton Sea, securing water for one of America’s most productive agricultural regions and reducing pressure on the Colorado River system. While the initial infrastructure costs would be substantial, the long-term economic benefits could be significant. Stable agricultural production, reduced environmental mitigation costs at the Salton Sea, renewable energy development and improved regional water security all provide measurable value.
Megaprojects once built the modern West. As Lake Mead and the Colorado River face growing uncertainty, it may be time to think at that scale again.
