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<br />G03~~36 <br /> <br />Senate Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources <br />Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife <br />Page I <br />August 31, 2001 <br /> <br />The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) appreciates and welcomes the <br />opportunity to discuss the status and current progress in implementing California's Colorado <br />River Water Use Plan (California Plan) with the Committees. We cannot overstate the <br />importance of the California Plan to California, its economy and environment. Absent this effort <br />and the accomplishments to date, a major statewide water crisis could occur today given the <br />below-average water supplies this year and last for both the State Water Project and the Colorado <br />River Basin. <br /> <br />Much progress has been made since the last time your Committees heard from us regarding the <br />joint efforts ofMWD, Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), Imperial Irrigation District <br />(lID), and San Diego County Water Authority (SDCW A) (collectively, the Agencies) efforts to <br />ensure that California can live within its basic apportionment of Colorado River water. However, <br />there are still a number of issues that need to be addressed, the most significant being <br />environmental and endangered species compliance for the temporal impacts the Quantification <br />Settlement Agreement water transfers have on the Salton Sea and the matter of fully protected <br />species. This statement will (1) summarize the status and progress to date that have been made in <br />implementing the California Plan, (2) discuss current problems being encountered in its <br />implementation, (3) identify potential additional obstacles that could affect its implementation or <br />effectiveness, and (4) highlight areas that the legislature or others could assist in its <br />implementation. <br /> <br />At the outset, it should be stated that we believe there is no substitute for success in <br />implementing California's Colorado River Water Use Plan; the statewide economic and <br />environmental consequences of not achieving the California Plan's implementation are not <br />acceptable. The core transfer of about 500,000 acre-feet per year from agriculture to urban and <br />the Colorado River Interim Surplus Guidelines are vital to the California Plan's success. This <br />includes the llD/SDCW A water transfer, the transfer of conserved water from lID and CVWD to <br />MWD from canal lining projects and other means, the transfer of conserved water from lID to <br />CVWD, and the transfer and exchange of water from MWD to CVWD. The components of the <br />California Plan must be implemented in full compliance with state and federal environment and <br />endangered species laws. The Agencies are committed to ensuring the timely implementation of <br />these programs and recognize that there is no alternative, given California's requirement to live <br />within its basic apportionment. <br /> <br />The Colorado River Interim Surplus Guidelines (Guidelines) provide a IS-year period for <br />California to transition to live within the state's basic 4.4 million acre-feet annual apportionment <br />of Colorado River water. Continuation of the Guidelines is contingent on California making <br />specific measurable annual progress in implementing the California Plan, including the reduction <br />of water use to meet specific benchmarks at three-year intervals during the transition period. The <br />first water use reduction benchmark occurs in 2003 and requires California to reduce agricultural <br />water use by 110,000 acre-feet. If California fails to meet these benchmarks, the Guidelines will <br />be suspended. <br />