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<br />Fax:3038563558 <br /> <br />Rug 6 '99 13:23 <br /> <br />P.03 <br /> <br />\ A.__ <br />S;g.o:On San Diego Stl!.~e-"'he Rcgjon - Water deal ..,....,11 flow to S.D, <br /> <br />hftp:l.cntrib.c.om/newsfstatci990SOS.cOl 0 _ 811Su.-ate1'.bIml <br /> <br />For years, California has been usir.g far more than its share of the <br />Colorado. Growth in Arizona and other neighboring states has generated <br />increasing pressure to hold California to its legal limit of 4.4 million <br />acre-feet. <br /> <br />Under the deal, Ca.1ifornia would continue to receive 5.2 million acre-feet <br />until 2015. After that, the state's share is expected to drop to 4.4 million <br />acre-feet. <br /> <br />An acre-foot is 326.000 gallons, or about enough water to meet the <br />needs of two families of four for a year. <br /> <br />The major players at the table -- Metropolitan, Imperial Irrigation District <br />and Coachella Valley \Vater District -- receive most of state's Colorado <br />River allotment. Neither state nor federal officials would disclose yet how <br />t.lte water would be divided. <br /> <br />The Colorado provides nearly a quarter orthe drinking water for urban <br />Southern California. Statewide, it accounts for 7 percent of water <br />supplies. according to the state Depanment of Water Resources. <br /> <br />The agreerr.ent \liAS reached at 3 a.m, yesterday a..~er months of virtually <br />nonstop negotiations. Gov. Gray Da\tis and Interior Secretary Bruce <br />Babbitt ha.d threatened to dictate terms unless the warring factions struck <br />a deal by Tuesday, <br /> <br />Most of 6e agencies involved issued only carefully worded S'".atements <br />yesterday. <br /> <br />"It's net a done deal, but it is a significant step forward, ,. said John <br />Carter, an attorney for the Imperial Irrigation District. <br /> <br />Carter said there were two potential kinks in the agreement to sell the <br />Imperial district's water to San Diego. Metropolitan has balked at a <br />long-term agreement to use its canals to transfer the water, Metropolitan <br />also is reluctant to approve sales of more than 200,000 acre-feet to San <br />Diego, he said. <br /> <br />tl~1etropolitan ar.d San Diego still have some discussions ahead of them, " <br />Carter said. <br /> <br />Others fa:niliar with the talks said an option for San Diego to buy an <br />additionallCO,OOO acre-feet was lopped to appease Metropolitan's <br />request for more water. <br /> <br />For the San Diego County Water Authority, the agreement would <br />remove one of the last major barriers to its purchase of the Imperial <br />water, The district has long sought a major water source independent of <br /> <br />20B <br /> <br />08106199 08:24: <br />