Plans to Tap Imperial Valley Water Delayed

After objections surfaced at a series of public hearings, directors of the Imperial Irrigation District on Tuesday voted against a proposal that would have given the Metropolitan Water District a substantial amount of Colorado River water that now flows into the Imperial Valley.

The 3-2 vote delays for at least nine months final action on a plan that had been hailed as a way for the Metropolitan Water District to obtain water to make up for some of its Colorado River allocation that will be lost to Arizona in the next few years. The Imperial district will continue to negotiate with MWD, sending in a revamped negotiating team that includes a critic of the proposed agreement.

Annual Allocation

Under the proposal, the Imperial district, which supplies water to farmers in the Imperial Valley, will make 100,000 acre-feet of water a year available to MWD. An acre-foot covers an acre to a depth of one foot.

The proposed allocation, according to the findings of a state board, is being wasted by Imperial farmers and allowed to drain into Salton Sea.

In return for the water, the Metropolitan district agreed to provide $10 million a year to construct water conservation facilities for the valley.

The future of the agreement is important to residents of the six counties in the Metropolitan Water District--Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside.

For years, MWD had pushed for expansion of the State Water Project, bringing Northern California water south, to make up for the loss of Colorado River water when Arizona begins full operation of its own Colorado River project by 1990.

Project Opposed

But conservationists and Northern California foes of water project expansion had argued it would be cheaper and more efficient to obtain water from sources such as the Imperial district.

The proposal was Metropolitan’s first major recognition of the worth of water sharing and its defeat by the Imperial district board is a blow to the idea.

Charles Shreves, general manager of the Imperial district, said the board rejected the proposed agreement largely because of concerns expressed by residents, many of them farmers, at a series of hearings in the Imperial Valley.

He said objections were expressed to the length of the agreement--35 years. Another objection, he said, was that MWD was not being required to pay enough.

Concern for Salton Sea

Finally, he said, some critics expressed fear over what would happen if conservation measures lowered the level of Salton Sea, which is a prime fishing spot. A lowered sea could increase salinity and kill fish, critics said, and leave the Imperial district open to lawsuits from resort owners and other fishing interests.

Shreves said the Imperial district will also prepare environmental impact reports for the proposal, another request by critics. He said it would take at least nine months to complete the reports.

Carl Baronkay, MWD general manager, said he was disappointed but felt progress had been made. “They did not walk away,” he said.