ELi5: Why can’t we build a giant water pipeline across the US? I live in north east US and we get an insane amount of precipitation. Can’t we help out the west by moving some of that to them?

Question

ELi5: Why can’t we build a giant water pipeline across the US? I live in north east US and we get an insane amount of precipitation. Can’t we help out the west by moving some of that to them?

In: 3

Answer 1

Because really huge is way bigger than you are thinking. The pipe that supplies PART of New York City’s drinking water is 24 feet in diameter.

California would need a really big pipe.

Also, while there are closer sources for water (I suspect the lower Klamath river has extra water) there is also the risk of building huge infrastructure over decades, only for the precipitation patterns to shift