Reply To: T-shirt designers unite and take over

[Brian H]

Aeronaut wrote:

desalinated water could be harvested with minimal treatment by drawing off of rivers and replenishing by piping to areas of greatest use. at least for the interim slowing the consumption from ogalala. we just need the horsepower to pump water to these areas. if focus fusion takes off this could be a very inexpensive approach.

Yep, that’s probably the easiest political solution. Wonder how long after that before a longer term “solution” like pumping Gulf and ocean water are implemented?

T. Boone Pickens wanted to build a 600 some odd mile long pipeline from his ranch in the Texas Panhandle to pump Ogalla water to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. I imagine a better way to make money off of water would be for him to double the length and slightly increase the diameter so it reaches the Gulf north of Houston, and bill his neighbors to put the rest into the aquifier. On that scale, he’d probably just bill Austin periodically for being such a “Good Texan”.

?? River water doesn’t need to be desalinated. Over-use of rivers and aquifers is what desalination of ocean water is supposed to remedy.
Aeronaut’s idea of replenishing the aquifer is probably a good idea, since many of the taps into it are unlikely to be withdrawn in a hurry. Once desalination and pumping are cheap, it will happen, though.