The American Southwest has horribly mismanaged it's fresh water supply. Tulare Lake, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas are just some examples of the American Southwest's horrible fresh water management. My suggestion is does the rest of the United States and North America have a right to the fresh water contained in the Great Lakes? Would a pipeline from Chicago to Los Angeles or Mexico City be better for the environment than a desalination plant?
Absolutely fucking not. All of that water would be used for growing the absolute least efficient crops, maintaining inexplicable grass lawns in the middle of the desert, or be lost during transit due to the inevitable amount of leakage in a pipeline that's 1500 miles long at a minimum. Draining the great lakes in order to grow some grass and almonds for export is a terrible idea. Also, due to the minor elevation difference and the mountains between , the amount of pumping stations required would dwarf the energy usage for enough desalination plants to meet the water needs of every person in the US and Canada west of the Mississippi River without needing any other sources.