Every year the east side of the country seems to have historic flooding, meanwhile there is always historic drought out west.
Why can’t we just build a pipeline to pump flood zones to drought zones?
In: 0
Expense.
We build pipelines for oil because oil sells for nearly $2 a gallon (~$.50 a liter). If you ever check your water bill, you’re paying a tiny fraction of that price, which means that pipeline water would be uncompetitive or unaffordable by the consumer. To make it competitive, that would need to be subsidized; at the rates that the average consumer uses water on a daily basis, the expense of that subsidy would be massive. It would be a very hard sell for any government to their people. Additionally, if you’re relying on floodwater as a source, it will be seasonally idle, meaning your huge investment is doing nothing for large chunks of the year.
This is ignoring the physical logistics of the challenge: multiple pipelines to meet demand, collection and pumping stations, water treatment facilities because water runoff isn’t immediately safe to drink.
Latest Answers