{"id":1598459,"date":"2022-08-10T08:02:10","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1598459"},"modified":"2022-08-10T08:02:51","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:02:51","slug":"the-american-west-is-running-out-of-water-will-california-desalinate-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-american-west-is-running-out-of-water-will-california-desalinate-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The American West Is Running Out Of Water. Will California Desalinate?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-american-west-is-running-out-of-water-will-california-desalinate-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1598459&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The American West is facing its longest drought in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2022\/02\/14\/current-drought-is-worst-in-1200-years-in-california-and-the-american-west-new-study-shows\/\">1,200 years<\/a>, presenting the nation with its worst water crisis since the Dust Bowl of the early 20th century.  <\/p>\n<p>The Colorado River Basin, which operates as a lifeline for 40 million people across seven states, is drying up. <a href=\"http:\/\/graphs.water-data.com\/lakepowell\/\">Lake Powell<\/a> is at its lowest water level since 1969, just six years after the reservoir along the Utah-Arizona border was filled by the Glen Canyon Dam. Further downstream, Lake Mead has dropped to its lowest level since 1937, two years after the completion of the Hoover Dam. Water levels are now so low that areas once reliably blue have receded to reveal empty canyons seen from space. Below are time-lapse images of Lake Mead from NASA\u2019s Earth Observatory <a href=\"https:\/\/earthobservatory.nasa.gov\/images\/150111\/lake-mead-keeps-dropping\">published<\/a> in July: <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-277051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image.png 720w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-300x250-1.png 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cEvery large city in the West is struggling to meet its water demand,\u201d said Nephi Cole, co-host of the \u201cYour Mountain\u201d podcast and former water policy adviser for Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead. \u201cThe population in the West continues to go up, but there\u2019s not going to be more water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The situation is growing increasingly dire as state and local governments implement mandatory water cuts that are only expected to become more severe as the drought continues. Lakes Mead and Powell, the nation\u2019s two largest reservoirs, are running so low that each is on the verge of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/weather\/topstories\/two-of-largest-u-s-reservoirs-on-brink-of-dead-pool-status\/ar-AA10iEPn?cvid=8944a5bed9084acdb5f429d06abb9b75\">deadpool status<\/a>,\u201d wherein their respective dams will no longer produce power. In the eyes of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the government agency responsible for managing the dams, electricity is secondary to clean drinking water, and by 2024, the surrounding regions could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2022\/jul\/13\/lake-powell-drought-electricity\">lose<\/a> access to hydroelectric power if not by next year. <\/p>\n<p>In California, the last in line with claims to the Colorado River, more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2022-06-01\/southern-california-new-drought-rules-june-2022\">6 million<\/a> residents in the southern half of the state have remained under water restrictions since the first of June. While restrictions vary among local jurisdictions, rules primarily target outdoor watering, though state officials are also asking residents to cut their shower times by half and refrain from baths. The rules and recommendations aim to meet demands from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to reduce water use by 35 percent. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/droughtmonitor.unl.edu\/CurrentMap\/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA\">According<\/a> to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of last week, the entire state of California remains under drought conditions, with more than 97 percent of the state suffering conditions considered \u201csevere.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n<p>These conditions are unlikely to reverse. California dry periods have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2014\/01\/25\/california-drought-past-dry-periods-have-lasted-more-than-200-years-scientists-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lasted 200 years<\/a>, and the present drought only began in 2000. Los Angeles in particular will not be able to rely on the Colorado River much longer, though that\u2019s where the city gets <a href=\"https:\/\/viterbi.usc.edu\/water\/#:~:text=Seventy%2Dpercent%20of%20the%20city%27s,per%20day%20to%20Southern%20California.\">half<\/a> its imported water. Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, another primary source funneled hundreds of miles through the California State Water Project, is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/graphics\/2022-western-us-snowpack-drought\/#:~:text=What%20little%20winter%20precipitation%20does,peak%20snowpack%20by%20water%20volume.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shrinking<\/a>. <\/p>\n<h2>Arizona and New Mexico Are Desert States. California Has an Ocean<\/h2>\n<p>Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico are landlocked states at the mercy of the Colorado River\u2019s fate. California, on the other hand, is the nation\u2019s most populated state with one of the longest coastlines.<\/p>\n<p>Despite supplies drying up, California water officials <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/05\/28\/after-nixing-50-million-gallon-a-day-desalination-plant-california-demands-residents-use-less-water\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vetoed plans<\/a> for a $1.4 billion desalination project in May, which would have offered L.A. residents 50 million gallons of potable water by next year from the Pacific. The state Coastal Commission, citing a risk to marine habitat and \u201cenvironmental justice,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/documents.coastal.ca.gov\/reports\/2022\/5\/Th9a10a\/Th9a10a-5-2022-staffreport.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unanimously rejected<\/a> the proposal for a plant in Huntington Beach after a two-decade effort to meet the requests of public officials. Commissioners argued the energy-intensive process of desalination presented too much of a coastal hazard while raising local water prices. <\/p>\n<p>Energy expert and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Apocalypse-Never-Environmental-Alarmism-Hurts\/dp\/0063001691\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=150FLSBJTMNIE&#038;keywords=apocalypse+never&#038;qid=1660080242&#038;sprefix=apocalypse+never%2Caps%2C240&#038;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">environmental author<\/a> Michael Shellenberger told The Federalist, however, that habitat concerns are overblown by interest groups such as the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council masquerading as crusaders for the climate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are all issues that groups that don\u2019t want more abundant energy and water and food raise as supposedly obstacles, but they\u2019re all dealt with through relatively straightforward technical fixes,\u201d Shellenberger said. <\/p>\n<p>Salt runoff, for example, can be captured and stored inland, or even dropped in the open ocean without a significant change in the ocean\u2019s overall salinity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just have to make sure that you\u2019ve got mitigation,\u201d Shellenberger explained. This includes simple fixes \u2014 which are opposed by these same groups that deploy the same tactics to shut down nuclear power \u2014 which are <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShellenbergerMD\/status\/1496211413274091520?s=20&#038;t=LXQ6X4hIydinMMux5Y0ZVQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">already<\/a> used to desalinate nearby water while offering emissions-free electricity. Opponents to nuclear and desalination, however, have \u201cimposed scarcity\u201d to keep California free of more people such technologies could bring.<\/p>\n<p>After the billion-dollar plant in Huntington Beach failed, California has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/after-100-million-huntington-beach-denial-whats-the-future-of-desalination-in-california\/article_9162704a-07b5-11ed-8a9d-5bdca8db2738.html\">two more<\/a> desalination projects in the pipeline, with votes on their approval expected this fall. <\/p>\n<p>The Doheny Ocean Desalination Plant is another project planned for Orange County, which, if constructed, would <a href=\"https:\/\/onedrive.live.com\/?authkey=%21ALfIIrNEliAfNS8&#038;cid=5A921130DC2CE990&#038;id=5A921130DC2CE990%21110&#038;parId=5A921130DC2CE990%21106&#038;o=OneUp\">produce<\/a> up to 5 million gallons of potable water per day, a tenth of what the doomed plant at Huntington Beach would have offered.<\/p>\n<p>The plant\u2019s Chief Engineer Marc Serna explained to The Federalist that the project could be operational by the end of 2026 if approval meetings with regulators go according to plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe obstacle, of course, are first of all permits,\u201d Serna said, adding that, so far, \u201cwe do have a lot of positive support from both the Coastal Commission and State Lands Commission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sheena Johnson, the spokeswoman for the Southern California Water District, told The Federalist that the $140 million project has so far received $32.4 million in grants.<\/p>\n<p>A larger project further up the coast has been proposed for Monterey County. If approved, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.watersupplyproject.org\/about\">Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project<\/a> would produce up to 6.4 million gallons of potable water daily at a construction cost of $322 million. Local residents are dependent on the nearby Carmel River and remain under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montereywaterinfo.org\/about-us\/whats-new\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stage 1 water restrictions<\/a> to protect the delicate ecosystem from excessive drainage. <\/p>\n<p>The approval of both projects is uncertain after the state Coastal Commission\u2019s unanimous decision to axe what would have been California\u2019s largest desalination project at Huntington Beach. As of now, there are only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waterboards.ca.gov\/water_issues\/programs\/ocean\/desalination\/#:~:text=Currently%2C%20there%20are%2012%20existing%20desalination%20facilities%20throughout%20California.\">12<\/a> operating desalination plants in the state of nearly 40 million people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no reason to have scarcity of water in one of the richest states that\u2019s existed in the entire world,\u201d Shellenberger said. \u201cThis is not rocket science.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>California could also take lessons from Israel.<\/p>\n<h2>Replenishing the Sea of Galilee<\/h2>\n<p>No nation on Earth has been as successful at transforming seawater into a drinkable resource as Israel, half of which exists in an arid region of the Middle East. <\/p>\n<p>A four-year drought between 2014-2018 left the world\u2019s lowest freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee, even lower from overuse and irregular rainfall. Excess output of <a href=\"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/1583961\/israel-to-top-up-shrinking-of-sea-of-galilee-with-desalinated-water\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">desalinated water<\/a>, however, has replenished the lake to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/sea-of-galilee-nears-maximum-capacity-for-first-time-in-30-years\/#:~:text=The%20Sea%20of%20Galilee%20is%20Israel%27s%20largest%20freshwater%20lake%2C%20and,are%20failsafes%20to%20prevent%20flooding.\">maximum capacity<\/a> for the first time in three decades. In July, the country introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/government-inks-plan-to-clean-part-of-jordan-river-make-it-fit-for-swimming-again\/\">plans<\/a> to use desalinated water from the Sea of Galilee to make the Jordan River safe for swimming again.<\/p>\n<p>Today, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenationalnews.com\/mena\/2021\/12\/15\/israel-turns-to-the-mediterranean-to-address-water-shortage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five<\/a> seawater desalination plants allow Israel to produce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/how-israel-used-innovation-to-beat-its-water-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">20 percent<\/a> more water than it needs, with two more projects in development expected to be operational next year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUpon completion of the seventh facility, desalinated water will cover up to 90 percent of Israel\u2019s annual municipal and industrial water consumption,\u201d writes Israeli journalist Max Kaplan-Zantopp. \u201cTo remain resilient in the drought-projected years to come, the Israeli government in 2018 updated its desalination with a target to produce 1.1 [billion cubic meters] of desalinated water by 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Israel\u2019s desalination efforts have been so successful that they\u2019ve attracted interest from their parched desert neighbors. Last year, Israel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israel-jordan-sign-uae-brokered-deal-to-swap-solar-energy-and-water\/\">entered<\/a> into an agreement with Jordan and the UAE to swap solar power from Jordan for water from Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli groups, according to Kaplan-Zantopp, are also exporting \u201cexpertise, technologies, and policy strategies with neighboring and distant communities suffering from endemic water crises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Shellenberger\u2019s eyes, there\u2019s no reason that California being on the \u201ctechnological frontier\u201d can\u2019t play a major role in the global desalination trade. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should be pioneering desalination technologies,\u201d Shellenberger said. \u201cWe have an obligation to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The American West is facing its longest drought in 1,200 years, presenting the nation with its worst water crisis since the Dust Bowl of the early 20th century. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1598459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1598459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1598459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1598459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1598459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}