# The Colorado River is drying up. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574 "2018-12-23T16:59:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/41 "2018-12-27T19:32:07Z")
Is there any feasibility to trying to increase precipitation in the Colorado River basin in order to refresh it at a more manageable rate? Is it at least more feasible than spending trillions of dollars trying to pump water from the Great Lakes or the Arctic through pipelines? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/42 "2018-12-27T20:59:47Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Is there any feasibility to trying to increase precipitation in the Colorado River basin in order to refresh it at a more manageable rate? Is it at least more feasible than spending trillions of dollars trying to pump water from the Great Lakes or the Arctic through pipelines? Only if you are a bottled water magnate seeking to destroy Hoover Dam to drain Lake Mead in order to deprive Las Vegas of drinking water, which is the essential plot of approximately 30% of all Bond films. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/43 "2018-12-27T21:57:24Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Duluth is 702 feet above sea level, Lake Granby 8,204 feet. In other words, you have to push the water uphill, WAY uphill. Sure it’s “uphill” but the destination is also south of the source, and if my handy dandy desk globe (of the WORLD) is correct, that’s WAY _downhill_. Gawd, is nobody else here wise in the ways of science? Also: Can industrial greenhouses be used for growing year round in more temperate climates? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/44 "2018-12-27T22:32:13Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Or, we could move all the people in California back east to where they came from, and use the water to grow crops. I’m sure we can get enough signatures to get this one the ballot in 2020. If you weren’t born in California or married to someone who was, you have 1 year to permanently exit the state. ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Innuendo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@Textual\_Innuendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Innuendo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/45 "2018-12-29T20:03:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’m sure we can get enough signatures to get this one the ballot in 2020. If you weren’t born in California or married to someone who was, you have 1 year to permanently exit the state. Motion seconded! ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/46 "2018-12-29T20:37:37Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Or, we could move all the people in California back east to where they came from, and use the water to grow crops. > [@silenus](#): > > I’m sure we can get enough signatures to get this one the ballot in 2020. If you weren’t born in California or married to someone who was, you have 1 year to permanently exit the state. The amount of water that a person needs just for drinking is minuscule. The household uses of water for washing and cleaning are more substantial. But agricultural uses is what is the main driver of the problem. You could do desalination for household use. It would drive the rate up a bit, but most households wouldn’t really care, it wouldn’t be by that much. Worst possible case scenario would be doubling the water bill. In order to do desalination for agricultural use would require a bit more, and there is no way to do it economically without charging dozens of dollars for an avocado. Cut out agricultural use of the water, then see if there is still a problem, I don’t think there will be. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/47 "2018-12-29T20:49:05Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > In order to do desalination for agricultural use would require a bit more, and there is no way to do it economically without charging dozens of dollars for an avocado. Tragedy of the commons, I suppose. Or a fake comparative advantage. Is there a compelling national interest to maintain our competitiveness with Mexico vis a vis avocados? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/48 "2018-12-29T21:29:04Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Tragedy of the commons, I suppose. Or a fake comparative advantage. Is there a compelling national interest to maintain our competitiveness with Mexico vis a vis avocados? The avocado was just one example of the types of foods that we are wasting massive resources on trying to grow in a desert. We don’t need competitive priced avocados, but, avocados that are priced at $20 each are not going to sell very well. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/49 "2018-12-29T21:58:58Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Cut out agricultural use of the water, then see if there is still a problem, I don’t think there will be. The way they irrigate in California (and in the West in general) is very wasteful of water. There are less wasteful ways, but they cost a lot more to implement. So farmers are not going to change their ways unless absolutely forced to. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/50 "2018-12-29T22:05:20Z")
One of the biggest wastes in CA is irrigating grazing land for cattle. Grazing land! Forget people except for those idiots who insist on a big green lawn, washing their car at least once a week, and so on. Plenty of water for ordinary human use. Moving water from the Columbia, for example, to the southwest for agriculture will never make economic sense. The math is very, very bad here. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/51 "2018-12-30T03:27:38Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The avocado was just one example of the types of foods that we are wasting massive resources on trying to grow in a desert. We don’t need competitive priced avocados, but, avocados that are priced at $20 each are not going to sell very well. That’s my point. People will buy Mexican avocados. I don’t see a problem this this, unless there’s an overwhelming national security interest. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574/52 "2018-12-30T18:00:29Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > That’s my point. People will buy Mexican avocados. I don’t see a problem this this, unless there’s an overwhelming national security interest. Ah, I wasn’t sure what you were getting at. Yes, we do not need to grow avocados in the desert in order to protect our national security interests. Guac is good, but it is not essential. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-colorado-river-is-drying-up/826574.md?page=2)