Date of Award:

5-2012

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Department:

Management

Committee Chair(s)

Eric Thor

Committee

Eric Thor

Committee

Arthur J. Caplan

Committee

Dillon M. Feuz

Abstract

This was a study on the history of the Colorado River, the water challenges of the Lower Basin states and the international water laws that govern the United States and Mexico concerning the Colorado river. The main purpose of this study was to determine possible long-term solutions to the growing water needs of the Lower Basin states and how Mexico could help.

After discussing some concerns that the Lower Basin states had, research was done on the different types of desalination. This research included the different methods and their processes. MSF, MED, RO and MVC methods are discussed mentioning their different strengths and limitations.

Next different possible solutions are discussed. These possible solutions include current practices and their successes. The solution that is discussed in length is water desalination as it offers another method of obtaining water. This part also discusses different ways to power the plant. As Mexico was already going to build nuclear power plants one idea was to build a plant in Mexico and use their power to run a desalination plant.

This is one possible solution, to have a desalination plant desalinate water out of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico for the Southwest to use using the Mexico's nuclear power plant to run the system. The economics of a desalination plant are discussed. The cost of building a plant, cost of desalinating. the water, and water transportation costs are examined.

After an examination on these different costs are completed it is discussed on who would pay for the desalination plant and who would receive the water. One possibility discussed is that Arizona, California and Nevada all pay an equal share in the cost of building the desalination plant in Mexico. California would then receive the water from the plant and thus would cut back on their consumption from the Colorado River allowing both Arizona and Nevada to increase theirs.

A PEST analysis is done at the end of this study. It covers Political, Economical, Socio-cultural and Technological categories associated with this study. It covers different concerns and possible legislations that would need to be amended in order to continue with international desalination.

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31220b9271a1249e1c8ebea84446de94

Comments

This work made publicly available electronically on May 11, 2012.

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