LETTER: Tinkering around the edges on the Colorado River
Camille Calimlim Touton’s essay in the Sunday Review-Journal certainly shows how out of touch the Biden administration is when it comes to the Colorado River (“Protecting the Colorado: Biden administration embraces strategy of partnership, collaboration”). Bragging about the billions spent on continuing failed conservation efforts does not generate much confidence going forward.
Is there anyone, at any level, asking how to increase flow in the Colorado River basin? At the current flow levels, there is no possible way to support current use levels. What would it cost to hire some folks to look into ways to increase the annual flow through the basin?
I would like to see how desalination can increase flow. If the money were available to build the plants and install the pumps and pipelines, where would the power come from to make it all work? The situation does not just include deficient water. The lack of available electricity takes a lot of options to increase flow off the table.
It is good news that more and more people are paying attention. The bad news is all the money being wasted without any permanent solution being implemented.
