LETTER: It’s time to build a water pipeline

Charles Parrish Las Vegas

2 years ago

FILE - This March 23, 2012, file photo, shows pipes extending into Lake Mead well above the hig ... — FILE – This March 23, 2012, file photo, shows pipes extending into Lake Mead well above the high water mark near Boulder City, Nev. A plan by Utah could open the door to the state pursuing an expensive pipeline that critics say could further deplete the lake, which is a key indicator of the Colorado River’s health. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

I agree with the concept put forth by Mr. Kromroy in his Wednesday letter (“Water Solution”). I would recommend that instead of constructing a pipeline from the Columbia River to Las Vegas, we zero in on tapping the Snake River. It is a large tributary to the Columbia.

The pipeline should start somewhere in the interval between the Jackson Lake Dam headwaters and where the Snake enters the Teton National Park. This area is about 600 feet above and about 270 miles from the Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River in Utah, a major tributary to the Colorado River. The distance may be even shorter since the supplemental water discharge only needs to reach the dam’s reservoir and not the dam itself. A natural waterway may be available, and the system would operate by gravity, requiring no pumps and little continuing operation costs.