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From Icebergs To Desalination, Southwest Water Proposals Are Far-Reaching
EL PASO, Texas -- Solving the water woes of the Colorado River Basin is the subject of a new study released today by the Bureau of Reclamation.
The report includes 150 proposals that range from hauling icebergs to the southwest to removing salt from seawater. But Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters today the more realistic solution is less exciting.
"We need to reduce our demand through conservation and efficiency measures," he said.
The study found by 2060 the gap between water supply and demand will be 3.2 million acre-feet. The secretary said that a single family household uses about one acre-foot per year. But in the southwest, where some conservation efforts are already in place, one acre-foot of water can supply up to two households.
Currently some 40 million people who live in seven states across the southwest depend on the Colorado River for water.