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It is all fun and games until the last drop of water gets sucked up. Then they will (already are in some cases) bitch and complain that other states don't pipel

It is all fun and games until the last drop of water gets sucked up. Then they will (already are in some cases) bitch and complain that other states don't pipeline then hundreds of millions of gallons of water while disparaging those same states for not following the same short-sighted and unsustainable practices.

bilbo0s 8y ago
Basically like the states that want to take water from the great lakes. Texas is crying foul because of New Mexico's actions. Florida expects to be given access to the water resources of Georgia, (even though the Army Corps of Engineers has been clear that Georgia needs the resources for things like navigation and, crucially, flood control.) States like Nevada expect access to Great Lakes water. You even have really weird situations, like places that really are untenable even in the Great Lakes region, demanding water be diverted for their use. For instance, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Water wars are really going to be a mess in the near future. Right now we just have some agitated tussling. Just wait until the real arguments start, it's gonna be bad. [1] https://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2018/07/supreme_court_considers_federal_interests_and_powers_in_interstate_water_cases.html https://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2018/07/supreme_court_con... [2] http://www.startribune.com/the-great-siphoning-drought-stricken-areas-eye-the-great-lakes/483743681/ http://www.startribune.com/the-great-siphoning-drought-stric... [3] https://www.petoskeynews.com/featured-pnr/opposition-mounts-against-wisconsin-town-s-request-for-great-lakes/article_3e78bc57-84cf-57d1-b550-3871af90d5b0.html https://www.petoskeynews.com/featured-pnr/opposition-mounts-...
- mark_l_watson 8y ago
  The book ‘The Water Knife’ is a near future sci-fi about water wars - a good read!
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  > Florida expects to be given access to the water resources of Georgia, (even though the Army Corps of Engineers has been clear that Georgia needs the resources for things like navigation and, crucially, flood control.) My dumb model says that adding a large drain to Georgia's water system (aqueducts to Florida) is a pretty strong flood control in itself. How does this damage Georgia's flood control capacity?
  - rgbrenner 8y ago
    Aquifers aren't like plastic water bottles that can be refilled when empty. Depending on the soil, when it dries out the structure can collapse/compact, greatly reducing the amount of water it can hold in the future permanently. https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwlandsubside.html https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwlandsubside.html
  - GavinMcG 8y ago
    Because the issue is flood control. Simply lowering Georgia's water table doesn't change the fact that there's variable input. Also places with less water can still flood. See Arizona.
    - thaumasiotes 8y ago
      > Simply lowering Georgia's water table doesn't change the fact that there's variable input. But that's not what I asked about. The idea was to massively increase Georgia's water output capacity. This would seem to make it easier to handle unexpectedly large input.
  - gpm 8y ago
    I don't know about Georgia, but a problem that I've heard of is that dry land is worse at absorbing water than wet land, so if you dry land out too much and then it rains you are more prone to flooding.
- mcguire 8y ago
  And Georgia wants part of the Tennessee. (https://www.wabe.org/georgia-lawmakers-revisit-tennessee-border-dispute-bid-water/ https://www.wabe.org/georgia-lawmakers-revisit-tennessee-bor...)
- masonic 8y ago
  States like Nevada expect access to Great Lakes water. They're on opposite sides of the Continental divide.
  - therealx 8y ago
    I've lived a long time in Nevada and this has never been brought up. We do bitch about other states use (we use the least amount per person ), but I think it's somewhat justified.
cratermoon 8y ago
California has long talked about draining Oregon's Klamath River basin, and even taking water from the Columbia via Vancouver B.C.

bilbo0s 8y ago

Basically like the states that want to take water from the great lakes. Texas is crying foul because of New Mexico's actions. Florida expects to be given access to the water resources of Georgia, (even though the Army Corps of Engineers has been clear that Georgia needs the resources for things like navigation and, crucially, flood control.) States like Nevada expect access to Great Lakes water. You even have really weird situations, like places that really are untenable even in the Great Lakes region, demanding water be diverted for their use. For instance, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Water wars are really going to be a mess in the near future. Right now we just have some agitated tussling. Just wait until the real arguments start, it's gonna be bad. [1] https://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2018/07/supreme_court_considers_federal_interests_and_powers_in_interstate_water_cases.html https://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2018/07/supreme_court_con... [2] http://www.startribune.com/the-great-siphoning-drought-stricken-areas-eye-the-great-lakes/483743681/ http://www.startribune.com/the-great-siphoning-drought-stric... [3] https://www.petoskeynews.com/featured-pnr/opposition-mounts-against-wisconsin-town-s-request-for-great-lakes/article_3e78bc57-84cf-57d1-b550-3871af90d5b0.html https://www.petoskeynews.com/featured-pnr/opposition-mounts-...

mark_l_watson 8y ago
The book ‘The Water Knife’ is a near future sci-fi about water wars - a good read!
thaumasiotes 8y ago
> Florida expects to be given access to the water resources of Georgia, (even though the Army Corps of Engineers has been clear that Georgia needs the resources for things like navigation and, crucially, flood control.) My dumb model says that adding a large drain to Georgia's water system (aqueducts to Florida) is a pretty strong flood control in itself. How does this damage Georgia's flood control capacity?
- rgbrenner 8y ago
  Aquifers aren't like plastic water bottles that can be refilled when empty. Depending on the soil, when it dries out the structure can collapse/compact, greatly reducing the amount of water it can hold in the future permanently. https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwlandsubside.html https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwlandsubside.html
- GavinMcG 8y ago
  Because the issue is flood control. Simply lowering Georgia's water table doesn't change the fact that there's variable input. Also places with less water can still flood. See Arizona.
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    > Simply lowering Georgia's water table doesn't change the fact that there's variable input. But that's not what I asked about. The idea was to massively increase Georgia's water output capacity. This would seem to make it easier to handle unexpectedly large input.
- gpm 8y ago
  I don't know about Georgia, but a problem that I've heard of is that dry land is worse at absorbing water than wet land, so if you dry land out too much and then it rains you are more prone to flooding.
mcguire 8y ago
And Georgia wants part of the Tennessee. (https://www.wabe.org/georgia-lawmakers-revisit-tennessee-border-dispute-bid-water/ https://www.wabe.org/georgia-lawmakers-revisit-tennessee-bor...)
masonic 8y ago
States like Nevada expect access to Great Lakes water. They're on opposite sides of the Continental divide.
- therealx 8y ago
  I've lived a long time in Nevada and this has never been brought up. We do bitch about other states use (we use the least amount per person ), but I think it's somewhat justified.

cratermoon 8y ago

California has long talked about draining Oregon's Klamath River basin, and even taking water from the Columbia via Vancouver B.C.