Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River?

The Bureau of Reclamation and the seven states that are part of the Colorado River Compact (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) announced a proposal for a pipeline to carry water from the Missouri River to the western states.  The very preliminary proposal suggests a pipeline beginning near Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado.  It would take 30 year to build at a price of more than $11 billion, not to mention the energy bills for pumping the water and the constant operational and maintenance costs.

Infrastructure Watch does not abound with opinions as much as do some other blogs, but since we are based in Missouri, you would be right to guess we have an opinion on this.  The states and communities along the Missouri River have enough water resources problems of their own.  They’ve already been battling over use of the river, and the aquifers that have made the Midwest a great producer of grain are already showing signs of overuse.  If we’re teetering on the edge of a water crisis, we don’t have the resources to bail out the West.  Because the lower Mississippi River gets a significant amount of flow from the Missouri River, those states may have a few things to say about it, too.

We don’t mind seeing the west grow.  We just don’t want to be the Owens Valley to their Los Angeles.  If the Bureau of Reclamation has the vision to imagine a spectacular pipeline, maybe they should envision the problems it will cause and its eventual failure.  We need to get real about the water we have, when and where we have it, wherever we are.

Related posts and articles

Book Review: Blue Revolution by Cynthia Barnett (Infrastructure Watch, Nov. 1, 2012)

Drought revives old water wars among states that depend on Missouri, Mississippi rivers (Washington Post [Associated Press], Dec. 6, 2012)

Missouri Comes Out Swinging Over River Diversion Plan (Infrastructure Watch, Oct. 31, 2009)

Missouri, Manitoba Force Bureau of Reclamation to Take “Hard Look” at Project (Infrastructure Watch, Mar. 11, 2010)

Missouri River News Bulletin (Infrastructure Watch, Aug. 20, 2009)

Missouri River pipeline mulled to ease Front Range's water woes (Finley, B., Denver Post, Dec. 5, 2012)

Missouri River Priorities Contested (Infrastructure Watch, Nov. 14, 2011)

More on Missouri River in North Dakota (Infrastructure Watch, Mar. 23, 2010)

Plan for aiding arid West includes idea for major water pipeline from nation’s midsection (Washington Post [Associated Press], Dec. 10, 2012)

Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River (Berringer, F., New York Times, Dec. 9, 2012)

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers

Levels on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers continue to drop.  One of the consequences of low river levels is the dangers it poses to navigation, especially to barge traffic.  Low levels have exposed rocks and sand bars on both rivers.

Barges on these rivers transport a lot of goods, especially commodities.  This is a significant part of the economy of states along these rivers, especially those on the lower Mississippi River.  For instance, in Missouri the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center estimated that nearly $3 billion in Missouri commodities, mostly agricultural products, are shipped on water.  Water freight generates an estimated $388 million annually in gross state product (GSP) in Missouri.

To some degree, flow in these rivers is controlled by dams operated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.  Officials and businesses along the Mississippi River have asked the Corp to release more water.  The Corp agreed, and on December 15 began releasing water Carlyle Lake (a little more than 50 miles east of St. Louis) on the Kaskaskia River, which flows into the Mississippi River a few a few miles downstream of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

The Corp has tried to tame these rivers for more than a century, managing them for navigation, flood control, and other purposes.  It may not get any easier.  Many are predicting that climate change will result in more droughts and flooding along with more frequent extreme high and low levels of water in the rivers.

A couple of days ago, IW was quick to draw knives on a proposal to pump water from the Missouri River to the Colorado River through a pipeline that would run from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado.  Recently Interior Secretary Ken Salazar admitted that this was not a practicable plan and that western states need to seek solutions elsewhere.

Related articles and posts

Climate Change Pits Sioux Against Barges for Scarce Water (Bjerga, A., Bloomberg, Dec. 17, 2012)

Drought expands, concerns mount about wheat and rivers (Gillam, C., Reuters, Dec. 6, 2012)

Four stories to keep an eye on in 2013 (Miller, M., Southeast Missourian, Dec. 18, 2012)

In Two Weeks, the Mississippi River Could Shut Down (Goldenberg, S., The Atlantic, Dec. 14, 2012)

Officials meet to tackle drought-ravaged Mississippi River, shipping concerns (Currier, J., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dec. 17, 2012)

Pump water from Leavenworth to Denver? Highly unlikely, U.S. concludes (Helling, D., Kansas City Star, Dec. 13, 2012)

Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River? (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 14, 2012)

Obama Signs Stimulus Bill

At and event in Denver, Colorado, President Obama signed the American Economic Recover and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1). The bill provides about $787 million for a variety of programs. Some of the highlight for infrastructure programs include:

-Clean water state revolving fund, $4 billion
-Drinking water state revolving fund, $2 billion
-Community development block grants, $1 billion
-Highways, $27.5 billion
-AMTRAK projects, $1.3 billion
-High speed rail corridors & intercity passenger service, $8 billion
-Rail modernization, $750 million
-Transit capital assistance, $6.9 billion
-Fire station grants, $210 million

Related articles and posts:
House Passes Stimulus Bill
Obama signs stimulus bill with $2B for drinking water

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GUIDE TO WATER CONSERVATION

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Recovery & Stimulus News

Colo. No. 25 for ARRA Jobs (Hicks, L. W., Denver Business Journal, March 25, 2011)
DOT’s Stimulus Payout Reaches $26.7 Billion (Boyd, J., Journal of Commerce, March 23, 2011)
GDOT: Stimulus Program a “Tremendous” Success (Dacula Patch, March 23, 2011)
Mo. Auditor: Oversight Lacking on Stimulus Funds (Jefferson City News Tribune [Associated Press], March 24, 2011)
Rebuilding Green: The American Reinvestment and Recover Act and the Green Economy (Infrastructure USA, March 14, 2011)

$590 million in federal passenger rail funding (Snohomish Times, Feb. 28, 2011)
House Passes Appropriations Bill (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 21, 2011)
New report reveals smart transportation spending creates jobs, grows the economy (Smart Growth America, Feb. 4, 2011)
Recent Lessons from the Stimulus: Transportation Funding and Job Creation (InfrastructureUSA, Feb. 7, 2011)
Rejected Florida money now could be used for Washington State Railways (NCWTV, Feb. 16, 2011)

Infrastructure Stimulus (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 27, 2011)

On a personal note, a (hopefully very short) hold on an ARRA-funded project could mean IW may have more time for blogging next week. Bloggingd doesn't pay the bills, so keep your fingers crossed that the project gets moving again,

Coverage of Infrastructure in Economic Stimulus

Here is a clearinghouse of links to recent articles and posts on the how the economic stimulus package is effecting infrastructure.

Companies Pretty Up Prices to Win Stimulus Projects (Cooper, M., New York Times, Apr. 14, 2009)
Economic Stimulus Funds 2000 Transportation Projects (Infrastructure Watch, Apr. 14, 2009)
President Obama to Mark Stimulus Milestone: 2,000th Transportation Project (Tapper, J., ABC News, Apr. 13, 2009)
Missouri Gets Economics Stimulus Fund for Clean Diesel Projects (Infrastructure Watch, Apr. 11, 2009)
Stimulus money means work for contractors (Proctor, C., Denver Business News, Apr. 10, 2009)
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES $45 MILLION FOR REHABILITATING FLOOD CONTROL STRUCTURES (USDA news release, Apr. 6, 2009)
Microsoft Benefits From Stimulus Funds (CBS News, Apr. 6, 2009)

Bay Area transportation projects benefit from low bids in poor economy (Richard, G., Mercury News, Mar. 30, 2009)
Utilities getting in line for stimulus monies (AWWA Streamlines, Mar. 17, 2009)
Stimulus Spurs Road Projects, Big and Small (New York Times, Mar. 3, 2009)