DOes anyone have figures on the cost of pumping water from the Great Lakes

[hedgehog]

to the south west vs. desalinization of water from the Pacific or Gulf? Just because we're at the top of the map doesn't mean it's going to flow downhill!

[Ilsa]

1. From what I heard, the governors of the Great Lakes States

aren't interested in selling.

It's a horrible situation.

[hedgehog]

4. Oh, I know the the water isn't leaving the basin. It's a closed system.

I jusat think that setting that fact aside, there are cheaper ways of getting water to the South and Southwest. If the water was going to flow that way naturally, it already would. It would take a lot of power to move all that water, and I think it'd be cheaper to desalinate a water supply closer to home.

[girl gone mad]

12. Desalination..

is not much of a solution, either. It's very energy intensive and creates a useless bi-product, brine. Dumping the brine back in the ocean might damage ecosystems, dumping it on land might kill plants and potentially contaminate fresh water sources. The west and southwest are going to have to change their lifestyles pretty dramatically pretty quickly, imo. Maybe the southeast, too.

[kurth]

2. About 5 Iraq Wars

+/- 1

[Lex1775]

3. Too much and the damage done to the Great Lakes region would be horrific.

I live in Phoenix (have for a couple years now) and I almost blew a gasket when I heard people talking about that (I was born and raised in Michigan). I've said many times that this city is too big for the desert. They're starting to have problems with sinkholes and aquifiers drying up in the far outreaches of "the Valley" (the valley that Phoenix is located in). Probably won't be too long before you see a mass exodus back to the the Northern states.

[hedgehog]

5. Me, I'd just as soon figure out a way for people to stay wher they are.

I'd like some jobs for my kids here, but frankly I prefer the smaller population and low land prices we have right now.

[mvccd1000]

11. I agree.

I also moved from mid-Michigan to the valley (about 10 years ago in my case). Even though I live in a desert, I would be strongly against stealing water from the Great Lakes for any other part of the country.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

15. Lake Superior is at a record low as it is. The Lakers can't get thru the Locks

with a full load anymore.

[KharmaTrain]

6. No Way It'll Happen

It's been studied many times...but Great Lake water has become very territorial. States battle among themselves (and with Canada) with how much water can be pumped out of the lakes or diverted into canals. There have been complaints that lake levels have been dropping and that this hurts the adjorning states due to loss of fishing and beach and shore erosion. I can't see all these states agreeing on a plan to divert massive amounts to other areas. You'd have better luck towing an iceburg from the Antartic.

[soothsayer]

9. yes, and we should be towing icebergs instead of just wasting 'em

[girl gone mad]

13. Might be the best option.

Strange to think.

[bbgrunt]

14. heck, they won't even let towns outside the lake's water table

tap into the water of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.

[tritsofme]

7. No thanks

We're not interested.

We're having enough trouble keeping dickhead Republican states like Indiana from dumping tons of toxic waste in Lake Michigan.

[jwirr]

8. Those of us living around the Great Lakes - including Canada -

believe it is priceless.

[kickysnana]

10. Wait. Global Warming. Edgar Cayce said the Great Lakes would be flowing down the Mississippi to NOLA

:sarcasm: