‘Doomsday Scenario’ for Drought-Stricken Colorado River
I learned about this fascinating and frightening article (excerpt below) from Harvard-educated doctor Jill Stein, who mentioned it during an interview with journalist Katie Halper. The article itself was written a couple of years ago, but the problem it describes is still very much a concern. Stein is brilliant and politically savvy, and reminds us that it is not enough to vote against evil. We need to vote for someone who shares our values. [Don]
Officials fear ‘complete doomsday scenario’ for drought-stricken Colorado River
EXCERPT:
The normally placid Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, could suddenly transform into something resembling a funnel, with water circling the openings, the dam’s operators say.
If that happens, the massive turbines that generate electricity for 4.5 million people would have to shut down — after nearly 60 years of use — or risk destruction from air bubbles. The only outlet for Colorado River water from the dam would then be a set of smaller, deeper and rarely used bypass tubes with a far more limited ability to pass water downstream to the Grand Canyon and the cities and farms in Arizona, Nevada and California.
Such an outcome — known as a “minimum power pool” — was once unfathomable here. Now, the federal government projects that day could come as soon as July.
Worse, officials warn, is the remote possibility of an even more catastrophic event. That is if the water level falls all the way to the lowest holes, so only small amounts could pass through the dam. Such a scenario — called “dead pool” — would transform Glen Canyon Dam from something that regulates an artery of national importance into a hulking concrete plug corking the Colorado River.
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE:
Officials fear ‘complete doomsday scenario’ for drought-stricken Colorado River
READ CURRENT FOLLOW-UP ARTICLE BY SAME AUTHOR HERE:
Inside the race to grasp the fate of the Colorado River
COMPLETE INTERVIEW WITH KATIE HALPER
Here’s Stein’s comment from the interview in which she mentioned the Washington Post article above:
“We need to be really deadly serious about climate. We can’t do what Barack Obama did, what Joe Biden is still doing … claiming that they are the friend of the environment. They don’t talk about shutting down fossil fuels, which is what we have to do. We have to terminate the use of fossil fuels within a 10-year time frame because climate is exploding. And if you think that’s not about you, just consider that half the fruits and vegetables for this country come from the California Agriculture system irrigated or watered by the Colorado River, which is close to shutting down. The Washington Post ran a headline last year that called it the ‘Doomsday scenario’ that we’re on track for … “
