The Arizona State Legislature is urging the United States Congress to fund a technological and feasibility study for the development of a diversion dam and pipeline to harvest floodwater from the Mississippi River to replenish the Colorado River and prevent flood damage along the Mississippi River. House Concurrent Memorial (HCM) 2004, sponsored by State Representative Tim Dunn (R-13), which outlines the proposal and authorizes the official legislative communication, received final approval today by the state Senate.
Dunn’s bill outlines that if it’s shown to be feasible, the U.S. Congress is urged to implement the diversion dam and pipeline as a partial solution to the water supply shortage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead and the flood damage that occurs along the Mississippi River.
“Arizona has long been at the forefront among western states in supporting the development and implementation of pioneering, well-reasoned water management policies,” Representative Dunn said. “Arizona and the other six Colorado Basin states are in the twentieth year of severe drought and experiencing a severe water shortage. Water levels are critical levels, jeopardizing the water delivery and power generation. A new water source could help augment Colorado River supplies. One promising possibility involves piping water that is harvested from Mississippi River flood waters. Diverting this water, which is otherwise lost into the Gulf of Mexico, would also help prevent the loss of human life and billions in economic damages when such flooding occurs. This concept is already being proven in Denver, where floodwater is being successfully harvested from the Missouri River to help alleviate its water shortage.”
HCM 2004 directs the Arizona Secretary of State to transmit copies of the Memorial to the President of the U.S. Senate, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Governors of the Mississippi River states of Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin, and to each member of Congress from the State of Arizona.