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DEAD7 could this be the end of public water in America. Will citizens have to start paying the private sector for water...
I had this idea years ago. It would require a lot of money to start it up though.
1. Desalination requires a lot of energy. I would think that either solar, wind or a mix of solar and wind power would be a beneficial way to supply power to the desalination plants.
2. Piping. Pipes from the coast to areas inland would be expensive and difficult to install. Plus, you would have to make them earthquake and vandal proof. If a section was destroyed through a natural disaster or vandalism, then, there would need to be sections along the pipeline where you can cut off the water so it doesn't keep on flowing out the damaged section.
3. Pumping. Pumping millions of gallons of water is requires pumping stations all along the pipeline because water has to move upwards depending on the landscape and pipe direction. Also, I would use wind and/or solar powered pumping stations to avoid reliance on the "grid".
It doesn't have to be private sector aqueduct. I feel the US government should fund and build it, just like they fund federal highways. You can put a tax on the water, just like they put a toll on highways, to fund maintenance.
To note, this is to benefit all Americans. How? In cases of agricultural use, farm lands that get enough water are prosperous, keep costs of food down, decrease reliance of government subsidies by farmers when crops fail due to drought, and decrease unemployment in agricultural-related jobs in those areas.