Uh, OK; Plan To "Solve" Drought: Desalinate Seawater In Mexico, Then Pipe It 200 Miles To Arizona

[hatrack]

Or you could stop growing subsidized alfalfa and pecans in the MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING DESERT.

Arizona’s newly expanded water finance board had met only three times. The state authority had no director. Nor had it made a public call for water projects to boost Arizona’s dwindling water supplies from the Colorado River. But earlier this week the board was suddenly facing a vote on whether to support a $5 billion project led by an Israeli company to build a plant to desalinate ocean water in Mexico and pump it 200 miles across the border — and through a national monument — to ease the state’s water crisis. Arizona and Mexico have been talking for years about removing salt from water in the Sea of Cortez, but this plan was new to many, and the rush for the state’s blessing in the waning days of Republican Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration worried some in the state.

“I’m sorry but this reeks of backroom deals,” State Sen. Lisa Otondo (D) told the board during its meeting on Tuesday. The accelerated debate also reflected the urgency of the water crisis facing the American Southwest. With water levels in key reservoirs approaching dangerously low thresholds — as a historic drought extends into its third decade — many officials want to import water into the Colorado River basin from elsewhere.

“The risk here clearly, in this case, outweighs the rush,” Andy Tobin, a member of the water finance board and a former speaker in the Arizona House of Representatives said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We’ve got folks who are running out of water.” IDE Technologies, an Israel-based company that has built desalination plants around the world, claims it can deliver an oasis of up to 1 million acre-feet of water to the drought-parched state — an amount roughly equal to what central and southern Arizona took from the Colorado River this year. During its presentation to the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona, two representatives from the developer, plus a Goldman Sachs official involved in financing for the project, presented their vision for the largest desalination plant in the world. The representatives said the project would be entirely financed by private money but they want Arizona to pledge to buy the water at an unspecified future price.

EDIT

On Tuesday, the water finance board voted unanimously approve a nonbinding resolution to continue to study the project.

EDIT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/23/arizona-mexico-water-pipeline-project/

[marble falls]

1. Bad idea. But before the Salt River was fucked with, Phoenix was a place that raised huge ...

... amounts of alfalfa along the river course. That alfalfa was one of the reasons Phoenix even became a small spot on the map.

[flying_wahini]

2. Water finance board is concerned but not THAT concerned as long as there is money to be made.

They will kick the can down the road until there aren’t any other choices. THEN, they MAY
Have to do something about it.

[brewens]

3. I looked at pics of desalination plants a while back. I suppose the reason we have so few is where

they would have to be built. That would be some expensive property, some owned by powerful people.

[in2herbs]

4. A $5 billion dollar project paid for entirely with private investor money? Since when has any

company agreed to investing in large projects without including govt. funding? Also, under the agreement/presentation Arizona must make a pledge to buy the water at an unspecified future price? How quickly do the investors expect to be repaid their $5 billion dollars. The cost of water based on a repayment would be prohibitive for most AZ residents.

Nestle has been buying up water rights throughout the world and, at one point, its CEO said that water was not a right. I would bet Nestle is included in this project.

IMO this project must be entirely owned and paid for by the government in order for the water to be kept out of corporate control. But, then, this is AZ. Luckily was have a D governor starting in January, but I don't know what her position is.

[hatrack]

9. The article notes estimated prices per acre-foot north of $2,000 . . .

For literally decades, the price for federal irrigation water was $3.50 per acre-foot.

No wonder the system's a mess.

[Delphinus]

13. I agree

The government needs to be the one in charge.

[Turbineguy]

5. The water should be publically owned

And its production method. Create a new Water District.

[Magoo48]

6. Cheaper labor and fewer worries about environmental impacts.

What could go wrong?

[hunter]

7. And Mexico is going to say, "Sure, why not?"

That's crazy.

[mopinko]

8. how much of a red flag is it that they insist on building in mexico?

and surely there is a market for the salts, yes? instead of dumping them back in the ocean.

a tech we will need, no doubt. but private control, sketchy practices, larded up contracts? um no.
there has to be a spot for this on the gulf.

[Finishline42]

10. Actually it makes a lot of sense...

Less than 200 miles to water. Can't imagine the headaches trying to get a pipeline built thru CA.

But to your other points... gotta love this part...

The representatives said the project would be entirely financed by private money but they want Arizona to pledge to buy the water at an unspecified future price.

Reminds me of 'Quantum of Solace' where everyone thought it was about oil and turns out it was about water...

[LongtimeAZDem]

11. We need to stop growing lettuce just so that the rest of the country can have salad out of season

If we irrigation agriculture, which contributes a small percentage of Arizona's income and uses 80% of our water, we'll have all we need here.

People love to make fun of us for living in the desert, but they sure love their cheap veggies.

[Caribbeans]

12. There are an estimated 18,000 + desalination plants in operation around the world RIGHT NOW

Last time I looked there were TWO (2) in the United States of Petrodollars

in 2018 found that "18,426 desalination plants are in operation in over 150 countries. They produce 87 million cubic meters of clean water each day and supply over 300 million people."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination

Can science make them more efficient?

The energy intensity has improved: It is now about 3 kWh/m3 (in 2018), down by a factor of 10 from 20-30 kWh/m3 in 1970

Perhaps if the scientists in the US were concentrating on things like this instead of drone bombers, surveillance tech and war.

Pipe the water?

The United States of Petrodollars pipes OIL from the TOP of ALASKA to the BOTTOM of ALASKA.

That's about 800 miles. So yeah, clean water can be piped anywhere. Anyone that says otherwise hasn't been paying attention.

[NickB79]

14. And that piped oil costs $50 per 42-gallon barrel.

$1/gallon, when a typical irrigated farm uses thousands of gallons of water per DAY?

The resulting $20 for a head of lettuce doesn't sound like a successful business model.

Virtually every desalination plant globally supplies water for domestic, ie urban and suburban, use. It is incompatible with farming as practiced in 99% of the world. The only farms using desal water are specialized farms in Israel, using drip irrigation and plastic row covers to conserve moisture.