Comments on: Metropolitan Water District General Manager’s statement on initial State Water Project allocation for 2009 http://aquafornia.com/archives/5313 The California Water News blog! Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:28:45 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=794 hourly 1 By: Ray Walker http://aquafornia.com/archives/5313/comment-page-1#comment-2876 Ray Walker Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:02:21 +0000 http://aquafornia.com/?p=5313#comment-2876 Created in the 1930s, Lake Mead ensures a steady water supply for Arizona, Nevada, California, and northern Mexico by holding back the flow of the Colorado River behind the Hoover Dam. When full, the lake contains roughly the same amount of water as would have otherwise flowed through the Colorado River over a two-year period: roughly 9.3 trillion gallons (28.5 million acre feet). With 17 turbines, Lake Mead has the capacity when full to generate 2.074 million kilowatts of renewable energy for the region. Lake Mead — which supplies water to millions of people in the Desert Southwest, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego — has at least a 50 percent chance of drying up by 2021 according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. Maybe there is a solution...why not ask those in authority to investigate... just a thought... August 19, 2008 TO: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation FROM: Ray Walker, Retired Water Rights Analyst waterrdw@yahoo.com Subject: Lease of available space in Lake Mead Attn: Robert Johnson, Commissioner Robert Walsh, External Affairs Officer,Lower Colorado Region I wish to deliver and properly measure up to ONE MILLION ACRE FEET of fresh water to the Colorado River which is absolutely non-tributary to the Colorado River. In order to solve the water shortage dilemmas facing the region, I wish to store said non-tributary water in Lake Mead on a space available basis. Evaporation losses will be paid by subtracting off for any increase in evaporation losses due to the increased surface area of Lake Mead that will result. Using existing capacity tables, this will be simple to calculate. I propose to pay for the lease with some of the increase in power generation due to the increase in head pressure as the non-tributary water accumulates. Lake Mead produces on average 1800 megawatts of renewable energy each year. Releases of the non-tributary water will be utilized to solve the environmental problems associated with the Colorado River Delta and the endangered species in the Lower Colorado River. The additional amount of non-tributary water will be utilized to solve the domestic and agricultural requirements of the region, as needed. I fully understand that in the event Lake Mead eventually fills and spills, my non-tributary water will be the first to spill. The water quality of the delivered non-tributary water, at all times, will match or exceed the water quality of existing water in Lake Mead. I agree to make no claim for any aspect of the stored non-tributary water as it applies to the recreational activities on the surface of Lake Mead, but I will in no way be held liable for such recreational activities. The definition of non-tributary water to the Colorado River means water that under no circumstances is part of any tributary or groundwater that would drain into or possibly be connected to or eventually ever reach any part of the Colorado River or any of its tributaries in any state. Created in the 1930s, Lake Mead ensures a steady water supply for Arizona, Nevada, California, and northern Mexico by holding back the flow of the Colorado River behind the Hoover Dam. When full, the lake contains roughly the same amount of water as would have otherwise flowed through the Colorado River over a two-year period: roughly 9.3 trillion gallons (28.5 million acre feet).

With 17 turbines, Lake Mead has the capacity when full to generate 2.074 million kilowatts of renewable energy for the region.

Lake Mead — which supplies water to millions of people in the Desert Southwest, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego — has at least a 50 percent chance of drying up by 2021 according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.

Maybe there is a solution…why not ask those in authority to investigate… just a thought…

August 19, 2008

TO: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

FROM: Ray Walker, Retired Water Rights Analyst
waterrdw@yahoo.com

Subject: Lease of available space in Lake Mead

Attn: Robert Johnson, Commissioner
Robert Walsh, External Affairs
Officer,Lower Colorado Region

I wish to deliver and properly measure up to ONE MILLION ACRE FEET of fresh water to the Colorado River which is absolutely non-tributary to the Colorado River. In order to solve the water shortage dilemmas facing the region, I wish to store said non-tributary water in Lake Mead on a space available basis. Evaporation losses will be paid by subtracting off for any increase in evaporation losses due to the increased surface area of Lake Mead that will result. Using existing capacity tables, this will be simple to calculate. I propose to pay for the lease with some of the increase in power generation due to the increase in head pressure as the non-tributary water accumulates. Lake Mead produces on average 1800 megawatts of renewable energy each year. Releases of the non-tributary water will be utilized to solve the environmental problems associated with the Colorado River Delta and the endangered species in the Lower Colorado River. The additional amount of non-tributary water will be utilized to solve the domestic and agricultural requirements of the region, as needed.

I fully understand that in the event Lake Mead eventually fills and spills, my non-tributary water will be the first to spill. The water quality of the delivered non-tributary water, at all times, will match or exceed the water quality of existing water in Lake Mead. I agree to make no claim for any aspect of the stored non-tributary water as it applies to the recreational activities on the surface of Lake Mead, but I will in no way be held liable for such recreational activities.

The definition of non-tributary water to the Colorado River means water that under no circumstances is part of any tributary or groundwater that would drain into or possibly be connected to or eventually ever reach any part of the Colorado River or any of its tributaries in any state.

]]>