The deserts of the Southwest United States have been experiencing lower than average levels of rainfall and drought for decades, while the population of these areas continues to increase.

The region of East Texas and Western Louisiana receives an abundance of rainfall, and the region is often inundated with flood waters which cripple the area for weeks at a time.

So what can be done?

FACT: The Central Arizona Project (CAP)
The canal system stretches 336 miles, lifts the water more than 2,900 feet in elevation over the course of the system and includes 14 pumping plants, one hydroelectric pump/generating plant at New Waddell Dam, Lake Pleasant storage reservoir, 39 radial gate structures to control the flow of water and more than 50 turnouts to deliver water.

A South by Southwest Water Project A canal stretching approximately 950 miles (3x distance of cap), FROM LOW POINT TO HIGH POINT, THE SYSTEM WOULD NEED TO LIFT water more than 4,600 feet in elevation (approximately 1.6x the elevation gain of cap) over the course of the system could deliver water from Harris County Texas to the Gila River watershed near San Simon Arizona. such a system could deliver excess water from the wetter southeast Texas region to west the drier yet fertile regions of West Texas, Southern New Mexico and Southern and Central Arizona. the project would not only help to create a flood mitigation strategy for Southeast Texas, but would benefit the United States by way of increased economic and agricultural production in the Southwest.

Contact Design Farm Studio for more information on where we go next.

To Be Continued...