2 ms·
The Central Valley aquifer does not extend to the coast and is poorly connected to the coastal aquifier: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/sci
by mlyle 5y ago
The Central Valley aquifer does not extend to the coast and is poorly connected to the coastal aquifier: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/central-valley-aquifer?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/c...
There is not enough flat, cultivatable land closer to the coasts to move much agriculture out of the central valley towards the coast, even if desal'd water was free.
- simfree 5y agoDesalination allows the now unused surface water to be collected and diverted further upstream, slowing the decline of upstream aquifers. For the upstream cities that use the Colorado River this could be quite beneficial.
- seanmcdirmid 5y agoBut now we are talking about building a tunnel rather than an aqueduct. It isn’t weird to drill water tunnels for a hundred or so miles.
- mlyle 5y agoOther than the fact that this is even more capex and opex that will exceed any economic use of water in agriculture.