Now the Drought Is Threatening Hydropower

Could it get any worse? That’s what residents and administrators in seven U.S. states must be asking themselves. The mighty Colorado River flows through these states, not only providing precious water, but also hydroelectric power. In the Western US, that fuel source accounts for 16% of total power generation and 53% of the renewable energy in the region. Hydropower in the West

According to reporting in Marketplace, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California — are up against yet another deadline to curb their water use amid the extreme drought. They have until today to agree on massive voluntary cuts or the Bureau of Reclamation, a Department of the Interior agency, has said it will impose cuts on them. Marketplace article

Even with the wet winter parts of the West are experiencing, it is still a major problem. Adrienne Marshall, a hydrologist at the Colorado School of Mines says that the snowpack in the mountains may not be enough. “Even if we do get some good runoff, we also should not count on one wet water year to get us out of a long-term mess.”

Better Planning and More Options Needed

The administrators from the seven states have been squabbling over water for years. In 1922 those states created the Colorado River Compact which allowed for the so-called upper basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) to receive 7.5 million acre-feet a year, and established that the lower basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada) would get 8.5 million acre-feet.

In the midst of the state-on-state debates, “the fear of federal intervention by the Bush administration forced states to develop new operating guidelines in 2005, and a threat from the Trump administration allowed for a 2019 deal among states to cut water usage.” According to NBC San Diego Colorado River deadline

“Last year, the Biden Administration gave these states the same demand to draft a proposal that would conserve as much as a third of the river. However, the upper basin states argued that they were already using much less than they were entitled to and instead pointed to the lower basin states of Arizona, California, and Nevada, asserting that they must act first.

California has said it could cut its use of Colorado River water by as much as 400,000 acre-feet — which is only up to one-fifth of the cuts that the Biden administration has gone after.”

Of course, our viewpoint at AquaterreX is to include in the solutions the vast supplemental source of fresh water that is available right below our feet. The US National Groundwater Association estimates there are 6,000 years of global water supply in the upper two kilometers of the earth’s crust. It is now available economically and quickly through AquaterreX’s combination of space-based technology, geospatial data, and patented instrumentation. We are proud to be helping solve the water crisis facing billions of people.

Deep Seated Water Should Be Added to the Mix Now

Deep Seated Water (DSW), is groundwater, typically sourced from deep aquifers that are located lower than shallow aquifers. Such deep aquifers are supplied not only from local catchment basins but also by subsurface inflows across basin boundaries. Deep Seated Water also encompasses water created at the mantle level of the Earth under extreme heat and pressure as confirmed by this report on mantle rain. Contamination does not occur in these deep water aquifers as modern pollution has not reached these deeper levels. And the best news is that this water is accessible and plentiful.

Deep Seated Water fits the environmental sustainability model as it would supply vast amounts of fresh water to regions while also allowing the existing sources to replenish. It is the “Missing Piece” that can solve the water crisis puzzle. The good news is, Deep Seated Water is a source that can supply the needs of the planet for thousands of years.

An example of huge new sources of fresh groundwater being discovered came within the last year in Texas. The newly named Maverick Basin Aquifer is known to be at least 3,000 square miles and averages 1,000 feet thick in most places. This comes years after Texas water experts concluded their deeper aquifers are brackish (salty) at best. Water tests on this new aquifer show it comes out of the ground already meeting or exceeding federal and state drinking water standards! Deep aquifer (texas.gov) These discoveries fly in the face of the commonly accepted beliefs of most hydrogeology professionals.

We Can Solve the Water Crisis Now

AquaterreX has been at the forefront of this effort, employing 21st-century technology to locate Deep Seated Water.

Deep Seated Water – The Missing Piece

Deep Seated Water is the Missing Piece that can solve the water crisis puzzle – contamination, drought, scarcity, hydropower – for states, cities, municipalities, agriculture, and industry. Many water strategies focus on conservation, rather than additional supply. Other solutions such as desalination and wastewater treatment are potential answers for some, but they also come with trade-offs such as high cost, high energy usage, long planning periods, and toxic waste. Deep Seated Water is located almost everywhere on the planet, and it can be added to the mix of solutions as a supplemental freshwater source that is not subject to contamination, is fast and easy to implement, and is economical and scalable. And, tapping Deep Seated Water allows both surface water and shallow aquifer sources to recharge, making the total system more environmentally sustainable.

About AquaterreX

AquaterreX (www.aquaterrex.com) is a global environmental services organization with a mission to broadly implement effective water and food security solutions. AquaterreX maintains offices in Florida, California, and Australia, and has representation in the United Arab Emirates. The name AquaterreX comes from the Latin, aqua (water) and French, terre (earth, land) which is a derivative of the Latin, terra, and “X” for exploration. Thus, AquaterreX encompasses water and land solutions for the planet.

The company possesses proprietary technology to locate Deep Seated Water, which is fresh water situated below the shallow groundwater that supplies the majority of fresh water on the planet. This vast new source of water can help solve the water crisis facing billions of people.