Oh, math! I am writing about The letter from Mr. Siefkes proposing to transfer the water from the Mississippi River to Arizona†
One number jumped off the page of his letter: 250,000 gallons/second. Moving water requires water to be lifted (pumped) or dropped (sent downhill, of course). His letter points to the old control structure in Louisiana as the proposed water source, near sea level.
Lake Powell stands over 3,600 feet above sea level with the Rocky Mountains between the two points. Any water diversion from the Mississippi to Arizona has to be pumped up about 6,000 feet, across the Rockies. The diverted flow would require massive water tunnels, as a flow of 250,000 gallons/second exceeds the average flow of the Colorado River itself, breaking standard pipe capacities. Aqueducts only work downhill.
Consider the largest pumping station in the United States, the Edmonson Pump Station on the California Aqueduct. This station pumps about 33,000 gallons/second as it lifts 2,000 feet. Proportionally, the proposed lift from Mississippi to Arizona would require about 24 Edmonson-sized tandem pumping stations spanned along various locations between Louisiana and New Mexico. It is likely that the system would consume more than $2 million in power on a daily basis. It might be best to stop here and calculate the construction costs separately.
Todd York, San Luis Obispo
Yes, there are many states that can regulate
Lest we forget that we are 50 states united to provide a common defense of our country.
Individual states can regulate everything from driving privileges to the death penalty. Yes, that can include abortion and gun sales.
With all the birth control methods available, I can’t understand why women who are smarter than men and are better planners should use abortion.
That said, it’s their body, and as long as a state allows it, they can go to that state to have the procedure done. Some states, such as Washington and California, create funds to help with travel expenses.
It’s their body and I agree they should be able to do whatever they want. But what about prostitutes and those in the porn industry, what about them? After all, it’s their body!
But unfortunately, if someone doesn’t have the resources, they can set up a GoFundMe page to generate the $20,000 it takes to go to an abortionist of their choice.
What a country!
Boyd Williams, La Quinta
The problem is sanity and a decline in morale, not weapons
Now we have the tragic shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Illinois. Two or three decades ago, mass killings like this were extremely rare, yet weapons were available. Can’t we finally see that we have a mental health problem and a decline in social morality, not a gun problem?
Sunny Simonetti, Palm Desert
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Moving water from Mississippi west would require expensive pumps