New Dams Being Considered to Handle West’s Water Needs

The main focus of the article is on a proposed plan by the Governor of Washington State that calls for studying the feasibility of large scale dams in addition to other more environmental friendly options such as small scale dams,  desalination plants, pipelines from the mountains, and water storage in underground aquifers.

Also discussed in the article are some other locations throughout the Western US where large dams are being considered:

  • Yakima River Basin in Washington (Black Rock Dam – projected cost would be$6.7 Billion)
  • Four major water storage projects in California, including a dam on the San Joaquin River
  • An additional reservoir to capture more Colorado River water in the Las Vegas area
  • Two new reservoirs in Colorado on the Yampa River
  • Rebuilding the famous Teton Dam in Idaho that failed in 1976