Interbasin Transfers of Water: Geovisualization Tour of the Central Arizona Project to Enhance Awareness

Keywords: Interbasin Transfer, Central Arizona Project, Geovisualization, Google Earth, Water
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 23

Abstract

Interbasin transfers of water can provide substantial benefits to receiving basins, but negative impacts to source basins are cause for great concern. Nevertheless, the benefits suggest IBTs will remain an attractive option for alleviating water scarcity into the future. Therefore, society needs to become better educated about IBTs as we strive to manage this limited resource in a more sustainable manner. This project uses geovisualization to provide a better understanding of IBT structure and function, which often consists of a complex network of canals, tunnels, pipelines, pumping stations, and other features. Google Earth was chosen for this task because of its visualization capabilities and ease of use. The products are available via the Internet at no cost and include digital maps in KMZ format, instructions for conducting simple analytical tasks in Google Earth, and a glossary of key terms. IBT maps available at present include the Central Arizona Project, L.A. Aqueduct, Cutzamala System (Mexico), Toshka-New Valley Project (Egypt), Indira Gandhi Canal (India) and Irtysh-Karaganda System (Kazakhstan), with more in progress (The IBT Water Project, aub.ie/ibtwater).