The Canal that Accidentally Grew a Forest in the Arizona Desert

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison visits the Central Arizona Project canal and shows how the raised canal structure has inadvertently become a major water harvesting swale that stretches across a wide landscape, and is one of the broadest examples of a desert swale in existence...all by accident!
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
1) MATH IS CORRECT: What I said was: "It was started in 1973, the year I was born, and it was completed in 1993. So this is about 30 years of this canal being here". This canal has been here since 1993. It is now 2022. That's about 30 years that this canal has been here.
2) The yearly evaporation from the canal is 5 billion gallons, not 5 million gallons.
3) The CAP doesn't supply 80% of Arizona's population. It reaches 80% of Arizona's population. These are two different things.
Sorry about that!!!
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[@ysteinfjr7529]

One way to reduce evaporation is to do what they do in India, to build solar panels over the canal. The water will also cool the panels making them more efficient.

[@tonymadathil816]

We did it for trial and now removing it

[@mariannecula1597]

You are definitely a cool NERD!

[@24-Card]

We just discovered Flint... C’mon!

[@Cryptoversity]

M'urca, most ain't happy unless you a spewing smoke and wasting resources.

[@nikhilkumar5180]

Yes they can but the thing is canal in India is smaller as compared to this canal installing solar panel will cost them hell of a money, man hour and resources.

[@ttopero]

The antithesis to the wholesale removal of cottonwood trees along the canals in metro Phoenix because they were considered water thieves, later realized that they prevented more loss by evaporation than they drank, in addition to the normal benefits of trees, especially in the desert.

[@typical_watcher4599]

Now that the Colorado river is diverted, how about the ecosystem of end of the river near to the sea? Is it justifiable to sacrifice this for the sake of the consumer upstream? Human engineering feats mostly do harm to environment than good since profitability comes first before the ecology.

[@ttopero]

@@typical_watcher4599 An interesting factoid: all the water used by Arizonans from the Colorado River stays within the river basin and can be sent back to the river to go to the sea. This would assume that AZ would “use” less water, in a permanent sense, than it takes out of the river, which has become political rather than mathematical. California on the other hand has almost no usage of the river water within the basin and effectively permanently exits it with no opportunity to exit to the Sea of Cortez., yet they get the majority of water use rights. Things that make you go hmm!

[@carolynmahar3476]

Thanks

[@carolynmahar3476]

Thanks James

[@MrJm323]

@@typical_watcher4599 "Human engineering feats mostly do harm to the environment than good [...good to the environment, that is] since profitability [...human benefit, you mean] comes before ecology [...another word for the environment]." Yes. The baby's bathwater serves the interests of the baby [It was not drawn from the faucet for the benefit of itself, but for the cleanliness of the baby]. Should it be the other way around? ...I mean, the very word "environment" means the surroundings or conditions in which something (the focus of one's attention or the center of one's value) lives. But, as an environmentalist ideologue, you really DO value the bathwater above the baby -- everything else surrounding human beings is valued more highly than the humans themselves. Now, what is the goal of "human engineering"? To shape nature for the benefit of human beings (and, in particular, THOSE humans who are paying for the engineering effort), ....yes? It's a matter of values. ....And the environmentalist pseudo-religion values EVERYTHING BUT the human beings.

[@pamelaslaughter]

When I moved from Oregon to Scottsdale 38 years ago, I was shocked that even though there was no local water, people wasted water on grass lawns, fountains, etc. The tap water stank and we all bought our drinking and cooking water. Then when it rained, there were flash floods, and no water harvesting. The irresponsibility was shocking.

[@kriskoenig4606]

Same time I got here. But the east valley had it's local water source. Water tested better than the Midwest. Mountain water. They don't call it snotsdale for nothing

[@1voluntaryist]

Leaving shared assets to a monopoly creates an unaccountable mess know as "The Tragedy of the Commons". Private ownership works. Public doesn't. For proof, examine the waste of "public works" in every country, for millennia. It's been documented in history. Private roads and courts worked better, then govt. took over and people can't imagine it any other way. MSM is govt. propaganda, so you won't hear it there.

[@thanhavictus]

Republicans are going out of their way to specifically cut and sensor ecological education too. Can't burst the bubble of American meritocracy now. Got to keep up those appearances

[@dylanr1749]

Those people with green lawns came from places like Oregon, California, NY, etc. All that artificial green has increased the summer time humidity and all the asphalt and concrete has increased the city temperatures, especially the min temp at night.

[@Objectified]

​@thanhavictus The conditioned idiocy of blaming everything under the sun on Republicans is stunning. You'll believe any claim made about them without question.

[@tayaria7280]

The most amazing thing being a gardener I learned is how plants provide shade and that cools that ground helps moisture retain it's beautiful. PLANT MORE TREES

[@jepulis6674]

But just not in a desert and water them in a water shortage....

[@TJSaw]

I learnt this in school.

[@espiinasnegras]

The way he proudly says that people uses too much water, the river doesn't make it to the ocean is truly sad. The gulf is losing life because of the lack of minerals.

[@steveunderhill5935]

I’m sure Mexico feels the same.

[@ClumsyToast]

Nature's a real bitch.

[@radi2173]

@@ClumsyToast nature?

[@JoeZelensky]

There is no gulf where the river went.

[@FirstnameLastname-yc2mt]

And now there's greenery in Arizona See how that works?

[@silverthread7254]

Meanwhile, the Colorado River Delta has been reduced to around 5 percent of its historic biological footprint. These forests have developed concurrent with the demise of the Salton Trough.

[@decidiousrex]

Exactly what I was thinking. There's no such thing as a free lunch. That water is coming from somewhere, the water making these "forests" was originally going somewhere else. So you haven't really gained a forest, you just moved it. The guy also refers to water "lost" to evaporation like it no longer exists... where do you think it's going? Overall an interesting video but I'm skeptical of the point it's trying to make.

[@descent815]

@@decidiousrex yeah I have to agree with you. He’s basically talking out of both sides of his mouth saying that it’s a good thing but yet it’s a bad thing and yada yada yada and it makes no sense because he’s contradicting himself is how I’m understanding this. So what is the point he’s trying to get at???……

[@donfredo8013]

Such considerations, however, presuppose rudimentary stages of intelligence - unlikely in environmental issues in the United States.

[@Doug7900]

@@donfredo8013 So what do you purpose? If everything done to the environment for the sake of water was turned back to how it was 100+ years ago, there wouldn’t be water for Los Angeles & for Phoenix & Tucson…. Sure many more cities. Perhaps you’re in line with Bill Gates in thinning out the world population?

[@coaltin2509]

@@donfredo8013 Honey, don’t. Just speak. Don’t do all that, nobody cares.

[@OG_Agrivar]

I wonder how the people of Mexico feel about the Colorado river not even making it through to the ocean!

[@elbowstrike]

America, being an Empire, sees screwing over other nations for their own benefit as a positive outcome.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

A Mexican river flows into the US full of bodies and 20 types of dangerous bacteria. I really don't care.

[@mrepix8287]

Mexico diverts a ton of water from the river too. They are part of the reason it doesn’t flow to the ocean

[@bwhog]

Mexicali is the last stop for the river. What makes it south of the border, they take in its entirety at that point.

[@robd8577]

​@mrepix8287 they divert nothing like the SW USA states and you know it.

[@gcolombelli]

I have no idea why KZbin recommended this video to me, but I'm glad it did. Very fascinating video on a subject I never heard before. Congratulations to the creator for presenting this subject in a very visual and intuitive way, even someone like me with absolutely zero prior knowledge on this is able to learn something new.

[@lucindasmith589]

Thus us just the beginning. There's so much more.

[@twob850]

Looks like a great 'unintended consequence'. My only concern would be for the land on the opposite side of the canal, as it is now robbed of the meager amounts of water it was receiving. The effects of that might be interesting to know as well.

[@bigfudge2031]

I think it is better to have enough water on one side to support life and the other side be baron, rather than have neither side have enough water.

[@kittimcconnell2633]

The water sink above the canal will provide more groundwater for the land below the canal.

[@ALASTOR101.]

Task failed successfully

[@tmurphy0919]

The soil here gets a crust on it from baking in the sun and most of the water runs off anyway, at least initially. You're right about less surface water but to second Kitti, there will be more local groundwater. Given our heat, groundwater is better. What you're seeing on the dry side isn't uncommon as far as density of plants. Pretty healthy population, actually. On the fauna side, it can be like night and day. Everything from birds to lizards to rabbits to horses will gravitate to that big greenery, dozens of species, especially if there's standing water under the trees. It can be like being at the zoo.

[@5roundsrapid263]

Actually, there’s a spillway over the canal, so the water pools on both sides. It’s shown at 6:06.

[@szki272]

Can't help but wonder what kind of problems have happened to the Colorado river because of this. Much of our local river is diverted. It has decimated local fish populations. There have been times when during fish spawning runs there has been no channel with water. The flows are sub-surface.

[@JoeZelensky]

It is drying up and is at record lows. It is literally just a trickle now.

[@nachobroryan8824]

At least Phoenix has super important golf courses.

[@notright7]

Where this river ends used to have flowers bloom every year before we as a species decided to divert it for our own needs in a desert. The green lawns should be outlawed in the US. They take so much water and chemicals to upkeep. If I ever get to own a home, I am letting it turn into flowers and sedges to help the critters more then I need a lawn.

[@uowebfoot]

@@notright7 Plenty of water in the US. You just have to live where it is. lol. You choose to live in a desert that's the price you pay.

[@jesusfuentes8612]

@@notright7 Surely you will.

[@JDSFLA]

1:50 After 20 years or drought, the Colorado River can no longer provide the water it used to. Those lawns are rapidly disappearing (I read last week that only 10% of homes in Phoenix sill have lawns having converted to native vegetation) amid other water conservation measures, and this year many farms are drastically reducing growing acreage as their water allotments are slashed. This is repeated throughout the southwest. Nevertheless, it is still very interesting so learn of the "accidental forest".

[@jonathantan2469]

Are lawns practical in a desert environment where water is scarce? You can get away with it if you only have a small population, but AZ's population has grown to the point where it may no longer be sustainable.

[@JDSFLA]

@@jonathantan2469 No, they are not and I am glad to see the lawns go. Much more will be needed to allocate available water and to lower demand for this increasingly scarce resource.

[@travis7211]

It should be illegal to have a lawn..

[@luckyfeatherfarm4685]

Lawns here in the valley are silly and a pointless waste of water. If people want to grow things here at least choose native plants or useful ones, like food producing. I think there should be a ban on lawns and private pools. Private pools are a waste or space and water. Most people don’t use their private pools enough to justify their existence. We would be better served by adding more community pools.

[@martinjohnsson1525]

@@luckyfeatherfarm4685 Yea I can understand why they want a swimmingpool. But it certainly don't need to be filled with freshwater, certainly not in a desert where water is scarce. Weird that no one has started an establishment which transports and sell seawater instead. For one person the cost would be huge, but together it could be viable and a much better alternative.

[@sheikhboyardee556]

Yes, water no longer flows into the ocean. A small city of Phoenix with a small water supply was allowed to grow into what it is by ruining the environment of the Southern Colorado River. Got to keep those swimming pools full. In the 1970's I knew an old Mexican man who told me that he & other fishermen fished at the confluence of the river & the river. It was a breeding ground for numerous species of fish. Not now, no water flows into the ocean & the breeding grounds are gone.

[@jan22150]

So what happened to the Mexican people who were living in Mexico at the end of the Colorado river.? Did they get any compensation?

[@stephanievegter5438]

💔

[@gxlorp]

@@jan22150 fuck no. What do you think?

[@willbass2869]

@@jan22150 crossed the border to El Norte

[@rubengonzalez750]

@@willbass2869 most of the Mexican people living in that area are of Native American decent.....Just more fall out of the greed of the white man since they invaded North America.

[@latriciacagle4873]

I’ve lived in the Phoenix metro area for 63 years. I’ve always been frustrated by “leadership’s” 1) refusal to acknowledge and respect our desert environment and 2) their willingness to indulge developers at the future detriment of our state.

[@naturewatcher7596]

No wonder, the money rule the world.

[@paulas_lens]

@Latricia Cagle AMEN to that! Maybe one day APS will stop blocking the need solar development. Every roof needs to be solar. It is amazing how much they will build roads everywhere, but neccessary 'green' projects are not "cost effective" (eyeroll)

[@bernardfinucane2061]

Much of Arizona used to be a a grassland savanna before the ranchers destroyed it. European settlers also wiped out the beavers, who were responsible for conserving water and filling the aquifiers.

[@aysiiou]

Having green lawns in Arizona is so wrong

[@chadbloomfield6068]

I grew up ranching in Arizona. We’re trying to fix that. Every rancher is. That was a bold claim to make. We didn’t destroy it. Construction and suck destroyed it. Check your facts. Speaking of which, this is filmed on our ranch.

[@hamrite]

@@chadbloomfield6068 ... which was, only several decades ago, native Indian territory. Ironic, no ?

[@vincenty747]

@@chadbloomfield6068 then I'm sure you know about Willcox, where big ranchers are destroying the city.

[@ttopero]

I’m curious if by building the dams, allowing pools of water to penetrate into the ground more than moving water, this is “conserving” water? I’m just trying to ascertain how you interpret “conserving” in this case. If it’s in the same thinking of “saving for the future,” there are aspects of the CAP system that do recharge aquifers, less naturally & with a lot more energy & less ecological benefit than beaver dams. FYI, conserving is also commonly interpreted in the same way as the other meaning of save, which is to use less; we can thank American English for such communication challenges LOL!

[@robjanoffstudio]

How awesome... our CEO saw this film and remarked that he visited Bill Mollisom at his home in the Northern Rivers NSW, Australia. As a kid he was designing the Permaculture International magazine and then to see your clip, so well explained and beautifully presented was awesome. Thanks for showing the importance of burls in the landscape, whether man-made or natural! RJS

[@amillison]

Small world! Thank you so much for the kind feedback, it's always great to hear how this knowledge is circulating :-)

[@onilegends6650]

Could they build more swales up slope so that one day natural springs might pour into the canal?

[@amillison]

Yes! They could put swales at interval throughout the entire landscape. The optimum interval would depend on slope and the ground type of the catchment area.

[@nicolagiuliani3212]

@@amillison I would argue also the rainfall plays a role. In the end swales are places where precipitation accumulates, so in a very dry climate you need a large catchment area (i.e. large distance between swales) for putting together a significant amount of water.

[@amillison]

@@nicolagiuliani3212 Yes. So you'd have to determine the optimum interval based on rainfall, slope, and ground coverage (runoff coefficient). Another important piece is the timing and intensity of rainfall. The monsoons are a big runoff event because the rain is so intense.

[@keralee]

Yes. It would be a good idea across most of AZ, would greatly green desert, and might even be implemented, if bureaucrats were not 1) morons and 2) controlled by corps.

[@Dec2012omg]

Nope

[@BS-vx8dg]

Only in the desert would anyone describe that as a "forest". Look, this is really fascinating, but I still find it asinine that Phoenix exists where it does, and takes all the water it does. Phoenicians pay less for their water than do denizens of St. Louis, which further contributes to the looming water crisis. Yes, Man can build some incredible infrastructure, but just because we can doesn't mean we should.

[@Garblegox]

It could always have its day, like Detroit did, or The Salton Sea.

[@crazydragy4233]

Indeed but you can't tell America most of their infrastructure inefficient asinine and poorly planned. They'll work with what they have... If you wanted sensibility you'd have to scrap whole states. They'll just keep expanding (as looming bankruptcy demands) till the whole thing collapses onto itself.

[@DevinDTV]

the water would end up in the ocean anyway

[@arch3088]

@@DevinDTV And the nutrients that it used to bring with it.

[@mariansmith7694]

ABSOLUTELY VILE.

[@acesoftrul3z]

You really chose a good year to film this, I've NEVER seen Arizona as green as it was last year. Trees that haven't had leaves in probably 5 years that I thought were dead were full and green

[@patzeuner8385]

They looked dead because they were a native or desert species that go dormant when they don't have enough water to sustain the leaf growth. Once they have some water they will revive until the next dry spell and go dormant again.

[@acesoftrul3z]

@@patzeuner8385 they’re poplar trees, not native desert species

[@patzeuner8385]

@@acesoftrul3z you do know there numerous members of the poplar species. Since I'm not in the area to confirm what species have started to naturally inhabit the area. Since the trees were not planted by humans then it can be assumed that plants and trees are indigenous to the area and the seeds for said plants would most likely be spread by wind, water, or animals. From the aerial video it appears that there may be scrub oak and maybe a type of pinion or mesquite, also growing in the area. Non native species would have a hard time to adapt to the dry climate without human intervention.

[@acesoftrul3z]

@@patzeuner8385 buddy… what? They’re trees that someone planted like 20 years ago. They didn’t grow here naturally. I’m not talking about wild trees or the juniper/pines that occur natively in the area. These are non native trees that somebody planted then stopped caring for at some point

[@patzeuner8385]

@@acesoftrul3z I don't believe the report said that humans had planted non native trees but rather nature doing her thing.

[@redsky7238]

The CAP isn't the main source of water for our area. SRP is the largest raw water supplier in the Phoenix metropolitan area, typically delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually. This water comes from the salt and verde river watersheds.

[@smiley3012]

That was what I remember. The cpa came later and is feeding the need for expansion.

[@AZWings]

@@smiley3012 It's largely feeding agriculture.

[@satanbirmingham911]

As far as I know Tucson and that area of our state gets srp and over west where I'm at (little town called surprise, maybe not so small anymore) right at the base of the white tank mountains we use cap

[@Galiuros]

@@satanbirmingham911 Tucson doesn't receive any water from the Salt River Project. Tucson's water comes from the CAP, groundwater and treated waste water.

[@stevenleslie8557]

What some people don't know is the Sonoran desert is one of the lushes deserts in the world and gets a good amount of rainfall for a desert. But yes, we need to not waste water as well.

[@gucciflipflop6669]

A good amount? It rains here 15 days out if the year

[@leonardwei3914]

He said good amount for a desert, which is a statement based on perception. 2021 was the third wettest year in AZ due to heavy monsoon season.

[@stevenleslie8557]

@@gucciflipflop6669 ...for a desert. Look at pictures of the Atacama or Sahara and then look at pictures of the Sonora desert and see the vegetation difference. National Geographic called it the "lushest desert in the world". I didn't say it was Seattle.

[@nicko8605]

They need to make more forests. This will increase the water presence overall.

[@LetsShitPost]

@@sonacphotos If China is planning on doing something, it's likely to have disastrous ecological impact lol Seems like every time they try something new it destroys the ecosystem due to poor planning and oversight.

[@LetsShitPost]

@@sonacphotos it's really not. Even a quick cursory glance into their water development projects and you'll see the disastrous impacts they've had on the region. Drying up rivers in important cities due to their water transfer, and ravaging local wildlife populations. Not new to China either, going all the way back to the Communist take over and there's a pattern of ecological disasters from poor planning.

[@pawn3d167]

@@LetsShitPost honestly i think they are just replanting trees in the desert areas to reclaim the land lost due to excessive logging during mao's rule. dude made so many bad decisions holy shit

[@ownlywon]

have you even been to arizona? have you even thought about what it would take to try growing a forest in 120F+ summers in a state that has no natural water sources of their own and shit soil thats basically some sand mixed with lava rock boulders.

[@ownlywon]

@@pawn3d167 its really because they're getting political pressure from all the other countries that are affected by the dust haze created by the gobi during monsoon seasonf

[@Honorcodefor-1life]

Hey Andrew, do I recall you rightly from Prescott..? It's been a decade and almost two since stopping by your Dameron st House with the fam?(Saw you in the Dolphin crossing over Jerome last I saw your face!?) 20 maybe 18 years ago, you e still got the same memorable smile man- Let me know!! Family here we were born the same year, it's Jah Love Josh, Native dreadlocked roadie, green eye guy, Joshua here. Be well. * Great contribution here, thank you!

[@ErelasInglor]

It's amazing the water waste of the Colorado River, especially in regards to how much is sent towards the foolishness of its use in the city of Las Vegas.

[@Vrozkrokop]

I love how he just glossed over the fact that the US use up so much of the water, that the Mexico literally doesnt get any. I wonder how Mexico sees this amazing feat of engineering and agriculture.

[@schizomode]

Vegas only uses 2% of the water out of Lake Mead they actually have a really good water conservation program there so much so that people from Dubai come to study it. It's mostly wasted on agriculture in California and Arizona.

[@napalm3899]

@@schizomode Mostly in California. Most of the Colorado River water goes to California to feed all the agricultural activities they have going on in SoCal / Coachella Valley. Almond trees are THIRSTY.

[@royprovins7037]

LA is where the water goes and they shouldn't get any until they permit some desalination plants. Not only that they waste a lot of water by the way it is managed

[@jonathanmoulton9251]

Las Vegas uses less than Arizona and California . FYI.

[@CplusO2]

Thanks Andrew you are one of the best. Aquifer recharge is a super important topic, Bill talked about it many times- even had a plan to generate power as the water fell down.

[@stephenhall3515]

In the early 20th century the monsoon type rain on different sierras was discussed many times but very little was done. Over the Mexican border experiments were carried out to store the water in covered reservoirs but the world was distracted by other things.

[@F14Goose37]

Oh hey! You are by my house. Welcome! I think the state should explore the idea of building a bunch of trincheras along all the washes, and encourage the landowners to do the same. That way less of the rain water would run off and more would soak in.

[@Raja-kr8ul]

Excellent video sir. Seniors and educated elders to be respected, as they are paving way and means to the coming generation. Thanks.

[@StanislavG.]

It always puzzled me, seeing these canals, why they don't plant trees or bushes on the banks - for shade, to prevent water evaporation. I mean, it's not that expensive...

[@allanturpin2023]

Tree roots can slowly penetrate and crack the canals cement walls.

[@vandematram4]

@@allanturpin2023 I was going to answer the same ..

[@vandematram4]

Stanislav .... This idea of tree is not possible .. as their roots can make cracks in canal .. But yes we can have another idea of putting solar panels on canal .. Which can save water evaporation + also it can save canal from sand storm and dirt from desert .. + It will make renewable energy .. Yes it is little bit expensive but as Americans have so much money to waste upon like afganistan war , Vietnam war , building unnecessary walls , aiding pakistan so they can hide out people like Osama bin Laden .. From that money a small part can be invested here as solar panels on this canal .. In india we are doing the same .. 👍❤️

[@johannageisel5390]

@@vandematram4 So true! I was also thinking that the canal should be covered by something useful.

[@StanislavG.]

@@vandematram4 I was thinking more in a direction on planting fast growing hardy vines like passiflora/grape for initial cover and to provide the "infrastructure" for some kind of climbing nightshade to grow upon (after drying up the host plants). These are not deep rooting perennial plants, and as opposed to solar panels, they are many, many times cheaper at solving the problem of water evaporation

[@Domihork]

"Arizona wouldn't be what it is today, these green lawns, the green agriculture..." *shows a literal desert plastered with concrete with a handful of green patches* ... wow, I'm impressed "This great forest" *has to sit to fit under one of the few trees in the small patch of green* wow :D

[@b_uppy]

This is where terraforming really pays off. How did you find out about it? Too bad too many are oblivious of its effectiveness...

[@amillison]

I have been observing it for many years since Brad Lancaster pointed it out to me in Avra Valley near Tucson. I also spend a lot of time on google earth :-)

[@GhostinTube]

@@amillison you observed and let others be aware of it. Good job

[@adeeshajayanath]

A canal in Sri Lanka named "Yoda Ela" has the gradient of about 10 centimeters per kilometer or 6 inches per mile and it was designed to achieve two main goals. One is carrying excess water to Tissa Wewa reservoir from Kala Wewa reservoir in Anuradhapura and the other is to increase the forest density along its way. And also it is a single banking irrigation cannel. The cannel was built around 460 AD.

[@amillison]

Yes! Before Covid I was planning on visiting this canal in Sri Lanka this winter, but then plans changed. I still have it in my sites to see it and do a video about it.

[@adeeshajayanath]

@@amillison - Great. waiting for it

[@vibewhen]

what a way to prevent water from reaching towns of another country.

[@enricopupim847]

ótimo vídeo, aqui no Brasil nós também temos um grande canal em uma zona árida, o canal do Rio São Francisco, trouxe progresso, mas também gerou muita destruição.

[@em945]

What are the destructive side affects?

[@enricopupim847]

@@em945 Many tracts of native forest were destroyed to accommodate the channel and its surroundings. Small traditional communities were divided. Some exotic fish species were introduced into the channel, directly affecting native species in the areas supplied. The volume of the São Francisco River has decreased considerably, leading to the advance of the sea under the river mouth, harming ecosystems and fishermen.

[@em945]

@@enricopupim847 thank you for reply Enrico. We are a very destructive species it seems.

[@kw0017]

Interested to see the results of all the water diversion of the Colorado River on the US side, to the impact on the Mexican side and River/ocean outlets ecosystem

[@brianhoefer7148]

Great video, thumbs up. I live in Oregon and just spent 7 minutes looking for the forest in this video.

[@thekyledebacker]

Not only is it like a giant swale, it is a giant swale.

[@ardyrc4531]

Every time we drive by Arizona on our vacation trip to Mexico my dad tells me if they started planting trees they would grow really well and change the environment and make it the best forest around, and I just stare at him like a crazy person it’s cool seeing that some what of his proof of concept.

[@kellybarthel8060]

Yes all they need is water, which is why it is a dessert. Plant all the trees you want no water no trees that is why what is there are short shrubbery ND small trees.

[@patzeuner8385]

@@kellybarthel8060 it only took about 30 years for nature to create the mini forest with no human intervention. If left alone to do what nature does best the area will continue to grow and increase in size with ground cover. Of course once it starts looking nice some idiots will want to dig it all up and put in a housing project.

[@TheMegadethMonk]

The 'forest' is clearly there through human intervention. That's what the video was about. Humans built canals and the canals formed a dam that retains the water for the vegetation to grow.

[@patzeuner8385]

@@TheMegadethMonkmy statement of intervention refers to the fact that humans did not plant the vegetation rather nature took advantage of the changed topography. I doubt the plant growth was probably ever thought of, by the engineers that did the initial design of the canal. Also if the soil composition and topography was only slightly different along the canal there would be no significant plant growth.

[@TheMegadethMonk]

@@patzeuner8385 There is a section in the video where the narrator shows a man and claims he knew this would happen and encouraged the engineers to create this situation. However, the narrator continually uses the word 'inadvertently' in an almost hypnotic way to imply that they didn't want or didn't care that water runoff from the nearby hills and mountains could be harnessed for plant life. He clearly has some deep bias against developers. As if for thirty years of construction and millions of man hours no one considered that a mound might pool water.

[@arkine11]

Amazing video. You know, considering how poor our road infrastructures have been planned and maintained in most of North America, projects like these are exceptionally awesome to show how we _can_ do amazing things still.

[@EM-qx3hx]

The project is stealing all the water from the communities downstream while Arizonans water their golf courses and wash their cars with it.

[@daggergblue]

This is some wonderful next level satire my man. "Accidental PROOF of the biological solutions to the 'water problems' of the desert." Love it!

[@ButtercupFarmGirl]

Because of this example in my home state, I FINALLY understand how berms are supposed to work!

[@mikhailkalashnikov4599]

Imagine all of the people there that have invested and dedicated everything into an area hinging on the ability of civilization to keep pumping that water. Now imagine a prolonged grid failure- epic catastrophe.

[@miketrusky476]

You have described Texas now. Not one natural like in the whole state, it is against the law to point this out in Texas.

[@TheMegadethMonk]

And yet it rains constantly here in North Texas during the spring. Why are so many comments on this video lamenting that fresh water is being stored instead of being emptied into the ocean. I just don't get it. We're going to be expanding our pond yet again because all that water loss drives me nuts. We have even more animals on our land before and twice as many deer because we have a larger water supply and the salt water fish have enough.

[@miketrusky476]

@@TheMegadethMonk please move to Corpus Christi , you cannot speak for the whole state.

[@TheMegadethMonk]

@@miketrusky476 "You have described Texas now." Please move to west Texas. You don't speak for the whole state.

[@renaudpont8180]

If so much water evaporates as you say then why was the canal not build as a tunnel? .. or at least covered so that the evaporation trickles back in the canal. The berm on the sides are a great idea.

[@stevenlovewendy]

Man repeating the same line 1000 time to make the video. Very interesting concept. Thank you for the video

[@tr7b410]

In Chandler in certain areas, waterscaping is employed to drop the ambient temperatures at least 10 degrees. How long that residential perk can last is open to conjecture.

[@Veej77]

Quick question - why is the canal not covered up (in some areas) to retain the evaporation? and/or getting contaminated by dirt, bird droppings, poo etc.? Thanks!

[@nealdolphin]

Great video, but wow what happens when this fails? The larger and larger the population gets that absolutely depends on this water to survive, the more catastrophic it's going to be when something goes wrong.

[@TheMegadethMonk]

I tell you what I'd do if I lived there and I were running out of water and only had a months worth or less: I'd get my ass out there and fix it.

[@DesertRat1997]

There are a hundred years of water in the aquifer, we just try not to use it because draining the aquifer causes compaction which lowers the ground level and reduces the long term storage capacity.

[@larryowsowitz2274]

In the late 60s We were taught about the CAP in elementary school as a way to reduce demand on the acquifer.

[@HavokTheorem]

Wow, I never realised how beautiful the wilderness of Arizona is. Shame the cities seem to be a nightmarish mockery of the Earth and humanity alike. Endless cookie cutter culs-de-sac, endless radioactive green golf courses, endless asphalt convolution to support the above. And of course the Mad Max-inspired vehicles. Still, I'm glad to hear that some water is being diverted to ground. That's a good idea that New Zealand ought to consider.

[@oscarwalton1188]

The water issue in the south west is pretty much self inflicted stuff like having lawns of grass golf courses and growing water intensive crops

[@28ebdh3udnav]

We need to start investing in Desalination plants to along the coast. It's a must. I see the future with hundreds of plants like this

[@stevensmileyprod]

Arizona isnt meant to have grasses and alfalfa. It's such a waste of good water. They should farm the right crops for the region.

[@JENTSUU]

thanks for the knowledge, very very good

[@amillison]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@manilkasheran2934]

2:14 The shear Amount of land and water being wasted on golf courses is astounding!

[@krknfmkr8919]

🎉We get floods regularly in some areas. Other areas need water. In the 50s-60s we built an interstate freeway system. Why not build an interstate canal system? Put in pumping stations where needed, large holding ponds in flood prone areas, similar ones in arid areas. Flood hits: water is diverted into the holding ponds and the pumps start sending to higher elevations to flow where needed most.

[@hamrite]

The term "harvesting swale" sounds eery when you understand literally no water flows in the final miles of the Colorado river, all of it taken for mankind. Not only does the canal dry up hundreds of aquifers along its path and along the original river pathway, but the lack of water on proper biological shores rip out tons of natural biomass, plants and animals, insects and birds, all along the original ecosystems that existed along. The canal is "useful" to mankind ONLY. The rest is just barely surviving.

[@maurickmt3362]

On the facts they destroyed the river Delta and provoked a massive damage to the original ecosystem. This is a priof that avaricy and stupidity has not límits.

[@WeighedWilson]

We can't both thrive and keep everything natural.

[@philtucker1224]

Happy 50th buddy! 🥳

[@amillison]

Thanks 🙏 still 49 until December 9th

[@burnslake1696]

You should do a similar story in Montana at the intake canal on the lower Yellowstone River.

[@b_uppy]

would love to figure out how Romans grew olive trees along its roads in North Africa. I am foreign to the terrain variances and am curious as to how they managed that task. The Romans started the olives as inducement to maintain the roads but how were they introducing the olives along this challenging path? Please realize I am trying to ascertain how the Romans accomplished this feat, rather than hearing conjecture proferred again and again. I am perfectly willing to be corrected regarding any misconceptions...

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

they used education and water....two things not necesaary available in the US everywhere 😂

[@b_uppy]

@@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists Thank you. You can go out and play now.

[@catchaslug9634]

The climate in north Africa was wetter 2000 years ago. It was a major grain producing region for the Roman Empire.

[@b_uppy]

@@catchaslug9634 If it were that easy, the inducement to maintain the road would be nullified. Why maintain a road for some trees when you can just grow your own???

[@b_uppy]

@HoboGardenerBen Why would private individuals work to water and maintain public trees and fix roads to have Roman soldiers eat them? A heavily traveled road requires a lot of maintenance and even money. Establishing trees takes a work and some areas were likely difficult to plant. Additionally you are assuming they were already installed 2000 years ago. It is likely the Romans also set up water systems, but how? Also where is your proof that it was wetter in this region at the time the roads were installed...

[@moosefactory133]

It so amazing to have a the huge city of Phoenix and surrounding communities in a place where such large population should not exist.

[@ying6726]

Great explanation of swales and berms

[@amillison]

Thank you!

[@homersimpson6176]

Evaparation of complete system is crazy ! Enclose the canal and save water at the end in stead of lake

[@coraldelaluna]

Its amazing our entire lives are possible because of a river. Everyone I know drinks water that came from it. Without it…

[@B123-s4j]

The British arrived in St helena a desert island, they could see that the clouds were heavy but nothing would bring it down. They sowed seeds of trees, grass, weeds, will flowers. Low and behold RAIN, the trees and flowers and grass call to the clouds and rain appears.... Frequency and electromagnetic energy is incredible look into how 5 g works.

[@RM-yf2lu]

The epitome of unsustainable development. Let the desert be a desert

[@CrazyGamer-ix3zo]

Considering the need to save water for the hoover dam covering the canal with them black balls that cover lakes or simply reduce the surfaces area of the water by making it deeper and narrow then use covers or something.

[@cuebj]

It is a large scale version of ancient systems of laying rocks along contour lines to hold up water flow from seasonal but rare rains which make damp soil in which plants can get a hold and then hold up more water and develop usable soil from sand. It's also a disaster for other areas and you are mistaken to get so impressed with the water use

[@johnwalters6800]

We need to install solar cells across the canal. This will utilize the space above the canal for generating electricity and to decrease evaporation of the water. A major win-win for everybody.

[@sparkyfromel]

Not only holding the water , the rain runoff also carry soil and organic materials which trapped increase the local nutrient level

[@JamesMcGillis]

Well done. Very informative, but the more we interrupt upstream flows, the less that will travel downstream. Ecosystems work best when uninterrupted. Water is pumped uphill to Lake Pleasant. Then, it is pumped uphill again to Anthem, Arizona.

[@maschwab63]

Absolutely. How about, where there is a road through a dry wash, put in culverts that drain at 3 feet above the ground then build a road at 6 feet above the ground. Would create a temporary 3 foot pond until the water sinks into the ground, instead of the flash floods just rushing through the wash.

[@Martin-di9pp]

Where did the water go before the canal was constructed? There must have been other low points where it gathered?

[@MikeEgypte]

Hey andrew or Andrew. I watched this up until you started talking about and then explaining the berms and how they work. At around 4:30 I see the growth (sorry I would not call it a forest, but agree it is significant), but I also see the mountains way back on the other side. I would assume the water flow you were talking about on the one side of the canal would also happen on the other side of the canal, but just what I would call scrubs. I'm sure I'm missing something. Also I do see a view looking accross the canal from the other side to see hills or mountains on that side to show where that water runoff is coming from. But this is an interesting video..now to watch to the end, and maybe get embarrassed if you have answered my questions there.

[@MikeEgypte]

Ok, I suppose at 5:40 we are looking the other way, so I can see the runoff from there.

[@RH-bp7st]

A water diversion pipeline from the Mississippi/Missouri would help the drought issues if our government would have built this 50 year ago. Moving water from these rivers would have prevented flooding over the years. This project needs to get started today.

[@paulas_lens]

Sadly, the quick montage showing the vibe of Phoenix was true (the lifted red truck OMG) but, as with anywhere - there is a spectrum of people and lifestyles. That "forest" had caught my eye before while driving west on I-10. It has also created its own microclimate affecting weather in the area, which is cool. No pun intended.

[@kastenolsen9577]

The gulf was flushed every season by the Colorado River and cleaned every year. Now look what's happening to the gulf!

[@mffmoniz2948]

So, they proved by accident that swales work. And yet no one is building more swales on purpose. A forest would help to store water.

[@isaacjackson3297]

That truck at 1:05 jump scared me. Had to watch it again cause I thought it was an edit and when I saw it again I gagged

[@BiggiN483]

Some settlers invade a landmass bigger than their old continent and think "hey, we have mountains, we have 2 ocean fronts, we have warmer and colder climate with grasslands. Let's move to that dry place that gives us nothing."

[@TxaiReis]

Então façam mais barreiras artificiais para produzir mais pequenas florestas, que por sua vez produzirão mais água.

[@wally1957]

Your definition of a forest is different then mine. Still looks like a desert with a few shrubs.

[@emmanuellesomeroboe]

That accodental forest is so tiny compared to the huge ecologic disasters due to the canal. Forests take decades to grow. Humans must help planting as many trees as possible, everywhere.

[@romangroysman5204]

Fascinating

[@jayc222]

No way this dude was born in 1973! I woulda guessed 1983 or later. Looking good for 50+ !

[@varcoliciulalex]

So, do you believe that further work in helping the forest grow even further would help?

[@Bshipbuilder]

Save a few million gallons of evaporated water by bridging solar panels over the canal?

[@The_Flamekeepers]

With water losses like that, its a shame they're not using shade balls, like those featured by Veritasium some years back.

[@KokkiePiet]

with all the water not running off going into trees and evaporating and the water evaporating from the canal and all that it feeds, does this increase rainfall in Arizona, or does it go somewhere else?

[@principal_optimism]

Would putting solar panels over water ways such as rivers and streams be measurably beneficial? /like for preventing evaporation?

[@Cragified]

To everyone fixating on the evaporation amount from the canal you should sit down and do a little math. A billion is 1000 millions. So (5 million divided by 5000 million) x100 = .1 percent. That's right one tenth of one percent evaporates while traveling down the canal. Trying to prevent that small a percent of evaporation is a negative return cost and you are far better off focusing on other matters.

[@MotorPotor56]

Hello from Lake Havasu City, AZ

[@bacaraleosky4651]

The canal made from the concrete. There should​ be​ the hole throught the cement along the canal at least 10 meter per 1 hole.

[@mcciaccio]

When you start moving so much water to different areas in the southwest , of course the weather will change.

[@dennyli9339]

Oasis type landscape can be reproduced in sandy area

[@jhouriet]

nice to see a silver lining in an otherwise ecologically crappy concept. great video!

[@Fritz_Schlunder]

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal system is currently operating well below rated capacity, as the Colorado river is not producing enough water to do so. Consequently, a "Tier 1" water shortage is currently in effect, whereby many farms in Arizona are currently shut down, due to lack of necessary water to grow edibles for society. Additionally, we appear to be headed towards a "Tier 2" shortage, whereby the government plans to institute a variety of new rules for residents of Arizona, including sending out a bunch of "water police", demanding that people do not grow gardens, raising prices on people's water bills, and by fining people that (in the government's opinion) are "using too much" water. One potentially fast and relatively cheap way to reduce the water shortage, might be to drill a bunch of water wells in the "unintentional forest" region just on the uphill side of the berm near the canal. Theoretically rainwater is naturally accumulating in this region of land, and some of it is sinking into the soil and contributing to a buildup of the local water table. Theoretically, we should be able to harvest some of this water, if we install wells to collect it and subsequently pump it into the CAP canal. Assuming we don't pump at an excessively fast rate (that would exceed the collected rainfall amount per year), then the extra water obtained should be effectively renewable.

[@TheOriginalGabberjaw]

I can only see some bushes... where is the forest?

[@andyschuster9829]

In the industrial park of Abu Dhabi there are many trees at the end of the AC condenser drain lines. the AC's provide a steady drip of water for the trees. Imagine if you apply this to homes, you could irrigate more shrubs and trees for no more burden on the water supply.

[@paulas_lens]

@Andy Schuster I direct my AC condenser water to a nearby planting. It is amazing how much water is generated!

[@JDoors]

So what happens to the environment downstream of this swale/berm infrastructure that no longer gets runoff from higher ground?

[@thepottmi]

Spot on JDoors.

[@The_Savage_Wombat]

This is where the "fighting over" part starts.

[@danielsnook5029]

I'm curious what your definition of a forest is.

[@imjarvis]

Super interesting! I love the positive unintended consequences happening here. A thought popped up while watching this video. So, taking the bioswale concept further, you could potentially just build up berms upslope and 'engineer' an increasingly more diverse ecosystem, and slowly replenish aquifers in the process. We humans do a lot to affect change on nature for our benefit, but without our brothers and sisters in the plant, animal, and fungi communities, we would cease to exist. I think it would benefit us to build and foster more 'infrastructure' (ie space for plants, animals, and fungi) to benefit the beings that thrive in those environments. Diversity is good, and there's a lot we can do as humans to make space. I think the thing that gets in the way is the profit motive, and how we value nature in this one dimenasional, profit centered way. Commodification of land and natural resources devalues the complex web of interactions that happens in healthy environments.