MWD Turns On Money Spigot to Start Imperial Water Project

The Imperial Irrigation District received an $18.3-million check from officials of the Metropolitan Water District on Tuesday, consummating a historic agreement between the agricultural and urban agencies that will provide much needed water to parched urban areas of Southern California.

“This is a case where water is more valuable than money,” said MWD board Chairwoman Lois Krieger during a news conference.

She gave Imperial board President Lester Bornt a mock check symbolizing the first payment in the $220-million construction and conservation program in the Imperial Valley, east of San Diego.

Actual funds will be transferred later this week.

The ceremony marked the end of six years of negotiations aimed at bolstering Southern California’s diminishing water supply. It also means the beginning of 16 Imperial Valley construction projects that will, among other things, line the system’s earthen canals to cut down on water seeping into the ground. The program also will build reservoirs to regulate the flow of water through the Imperial district’s irrigation system.

The massive program, which will cost approximately $97 million during the five-year construction phase, will be entirely funded by MWD in exchange for 106,000 acre-feet of water a year for a minimum of 35 years. The rest of the $220 million, which will be paid over 40 years, will go largely to cover operating expenses and related costs.

The landmark agreement was formally approved last January. However, another year was needed to work out an agreement with two neighboring water agencies that had maintained they could be affected by the pact.