You know the joke. Water flows uphill toward money.
So, what if we really opened our wallets and diverted water from Canada for use here in the U.S.? Dreamers have been thinking about this for the past 60 years. Here are three proposed grandiose water projects for bringing water out of Canada to the United States.
I remember the first time I read about this grand scheme in Michael’s WaterWired blog and thinking no way.
Yes way. The North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) was designed to tap 1.3 million square miles of water in Canada and supply water to 35 states. The Parsons Company‘s original 1964 estimate was $80 billion. The upgraded plan was estimated to cost $130 billion in 1979. The drainage area to be tapped was approximately 1.3 million square miles. Here was a promotional video of this plan (Thanks Michael for finding this!).
2. CeNAWAP – Central USA
Apparently in the late 1960s, the Washington State Resource Center developed plans for the Central North American Water Project (CeNAWAP). This plan involved a series of canals and pumping stations from Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake to the Great Lakes for ready transport to the U.S.
Apparently in the late 1960s, the Washington State Resource Center developed plans for the Central North American Water Project (CeNAWAP). This plan involved a series of canals and pumping stations from Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake to the Great Lakes for ready transport to the U.S.
3. GRAND – Eastern USA
The Great Recycling And Northern Development Canal (GRAND) plan’s linchpin was a dike to be built across James Bay at the mouth of Hudson Bay. With this new giant fresh water reservoir 17% of the fresh water in Quebec and Ontario would have been captured and diverted to the south by a 167 mile canal to Lake Superior and Lake Huron. This project was estimated in 1994 to cost $100 billion to build and another $1 billion a year to operate.
Hi, Robert.Great post. Yes, these schemes are still around. The GRAND project looks like the North American Recycling Alliance (NARA):http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2008/03/canada-to-usa-w.htmlThen there was the USACE's plan to pump Mississippi River water up to the High Plains, using nuclear power plants. Pat Mulroy channeled something like this a few months ago in DC.
recycling is one of the better ways that exist to help the planet to do better .. I think I'm proud of Canada as a country that is in search of well-being of the earth!