Water Sharing in Southland

Your editorial does not paint a full and accurate portrait of the Imperial Irrigation District operations with respect to the proposed water transfer agreement.

The Imperial board has consistently stated that any potential agreement would be fully disclosed to the public as soon as it appeared that there was a basis for agreement, and that public hearings would be held prior to entering into an agreement. We take very seriously our role as custodians of the public water for the Imperial Valley.

I would like to point out that the only water that could be transferred would be water that has been conserved. Your comment that “no farmer or rancher wants to give up a firm water supply, even if it currently is being wasted, without being precisely certain what he will get in return” is misleading. We do not agree that water that is seeping out of unlined canals is wasted. There will be no “net change” in the amount of water delivered for agriculture. By improving our facilities and thereby conserving water, we will have water that could be available for transfer. However, should crop patterns or requirements change in the future, the conserved water could be needed by the agricultural users.

Finally, I refer to your comment that “physically, only a few miles separate MWD’s tap on the Colorado from Imperial’s.” A glance at the California map would indicate that the distance of 148 miles between Lake Havasu and Imperial Dam is more than a few miles. One of our greatest concerns is that the quality of the water deteriorates significantly as it travels that distance because of an increase in salinity.

WILLIAM R. CONDIT

El Centro

Condit is president of the board of directors of the Imperial Irrigation District.