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My immediate thought is at what point does desalination tech + clean energy reach the crossover where building a 60 mile tunnel over 60 years not make sense? I
by zhivota 10mo ago
My immediate thought is at what point does desalination tech + clean energy reach the crossover where building a 60 mile tunnel over 60 years not make sense?
It feels like very soon, and coastal cities can stop relying on hinterland reservoirs for water.
- patmorgan23 10mo agoCapital vs operating is a big factor here. The tunnels operations & maintenance cost is probably far lower than a desalinization plant that could produce an equivalent volume of potable water.
- PLenz 10mo agoProbably never. The tunnels cost a lot to build but, once built run almost for free - they're powered by gravity and will keep running for close to a century before major maintained is needed.
- zhivota 10mo agoYeah that makes sense but if growth dictates another tunnel... And it takes another 60 years, your capital expense starts to look a lot like an operating expense. Not to mention one of the big stated purposes of this tunnel is actually to facilitate maintenance of the other tunnels. There is probably more operation cost hidden here than seems obvious.
- cguess 10mo agoThe big reason for tunnel 3 isn't new population growth, it's so that the other tunnels can be shut down for maintenance and inspection. NYC's population is more or less stable over the last 90 years.
- margalabargala 10mo agoClose to a century? There are Roman aqueducts in continuous operation for two millenia.
- llbbdd 10mo agoAFAIK there is one still in operation and entirely for tourist purposes
- margalabargala 10mo agoToday as in Ancient Rome the aqueduct terminates at fountains. It does not connect to the standard modern municipal plumbing. Whether that counts as being operated for "tourist purposes" is a matter of definition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acqua_Vergine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acqua_Vergine
- Ericson2314 10mo agoDesalination will be a West Coast thing. The East Coast has abundant fresh water.
- youarentrightjr 10mo ago> Desalination will be a West Coast thing. The East Coast has abundant fresh water. It's not entirely accurate to say that the West Coast doesn't have enough fresh water. Oregon and Washington have a lot of rain, and many groundwater resources. California kneecaps itself with perpetual deeded water rights and mismanagement/closure/lack of improvement to reservoirs and related infrastructure. There's a long history of this kind of stuff in the state (see the watering LA desert, the Salton Sea experiment, and many others).
- mattmaroon 10mo agoIt’s probably more likely AI will become sentient and kill us than it is desalination and clean energy are cheaper than this. This was only a 60 year project because of politics.