Technology

Because entrenched, and exceptionally wealthy interests. Reading about how about in CA there are tons of Colorado River fed foreign owned farms growing alfalfa to export to the middle east is the definition of capitalist success...the profit of a commodity has been made the most efficient; acquired cheaply for something otherwise impossible with international arbitrage as the medium.

Every time someone asks people in the southwest to take shorter showers show them this: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2022/02/24/california-water/

The influx of folks moving in from more expensive big city locations plus the general shift of young people rejecting conservative views even as they age is turning the state away from its traditionally republican voting tendencies as seen in recent elections.

Inflation adjusted... those canals cost $50 billion to construct and the project took decades. It would cost far more now, since getting access to the land rights would be a nightmare.

They're already not providing enough water, so if building more canals is your proposed solution then you needed to start construction 20 years ago.

Upgrading the canals can potentially double the amount of water they provide. It's far cheaper, and quicker, than building more canals.

Solar panels alone wouldn't get you to 2x efficiency but it'll help a lot, and unlike other upgrades it also provides ongoing revenue. It's an absolute no brainer to start with this and do other canal upgrades later, when every inch of the canals are already covered in panels.

I said that was California that painted their lawns. I lived in Arizona for a couple years, and I don't even remember seeing lawns. But I lived in Tucson. Almost everyone had a xeriscaped yard.

Well they're part of a larger grid. Any clean energy on the grid will be cheaper than dirty, so will be sold to offset dirty even if Arizona was 100% clean.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out!

anyone that's interested:

the water knife

it contains a constant volume of water

This guy has never been to the Phoenix area :P we even have rivers with no water, too! Bring the whole family, camp out and have imaginary marco / polo by the hill infested with scorpions, only a half-mile from the city dump! Bring your RV so you can feel like a complete moron with the other people who thought it was a great idea to buy a mini house on wheels that gets 6 miles to the gallon. And if you are early to rise, you can make Laughlin a day-trip to lose all your social security check by dusk, before sauntering back to the depression-rut of a life you have carved out for yourself. Because living in a desert with a large elderly population, just-barely-enough power during the summer even though there is a fucking nuclear power plant 20 miles out of town, and has been in a drought for my entire life while everyone waters their lawn 3 times a week, never felt so good!

Oh sorry I got mixed up with my "fuck off and stop moving here" speech. Give me 10 minutes.