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<br />J:-and Letter <br /> <br />Page 1 of2 <br /> <br /> <br />LINK TO THE E&E WEB SITES <br />. E&E DAILY <br />, GREENWIRE <br />. LAND LETTER <br />. E&E PUBLISHING HOME <br /> <br />Update for Thursday <br />January 2, 2003 <br /> <br />WATER <br /> <br />Dec. 31 deadline passes without Calif. transfer agreement <br /> <br />Dan Berman, Land Letter editor <br /> <br />The Dec. 31 deadline for California water agencies to sign a long-term plan to reduce the state's take of Colorado River <br />water by 800,000 acre-feet passed without an agreement, leading the Interior Department to begin preparing to cut off <br />California's excess supply. <br /> <br />While the Imperial Irrigation District approved a modified plan late Tuesday to transfer 300,000 acre-feet of water from <br />Imperial Valley farmers to urban users in San Diego and the Coachella Valley, the other water agencies and Interior <br />have thus far refused to go along. <br /> <br />By a 3-2 vote, the liD Board of Directors approved a deal that would provide $200 million for environmental mitigation <br />costs for the effects of the water transfer on the Salton Sea but would allow liD to back out of the plan after one year. <br />The proposal is similar to the deal the liD board vetoed in early December. <br /> <br />"This was the hardest decision in my life," said liD Director Bruce Kuhn, after voting for the plan on Tuesday. "History <br />will be our judge." <br /> <br />But the other water agencies involved, the San Diego County Water Authority, Coachella Valley Water District and <br />Metropolitan Water District, say liD's proposal is unacceptable and did not approve it before the New Year's Eve <br />deadline. And Interior has repeatedly stated it will approve nothing less than a guaranteed, long-term agreement. <br /> <br />"It is not possible at this time to meet the requirements of the Imperial Irrigation District's last minute proposals," said <br />CVWD Interim General Manager Steve Robbins. "liD's requirements for a $150 million loan guarantee, an additional <br />$50 million for mitigation water for the Salton Sea, and unilateral ability to back out of the deal have made the terms <br />unattainable." <br /> <br />CVWD and other Southern California water agencies have stressed the planned cutback of Colorado River water <br />deliveries from 5.2 million acre-feet annually to 4.4 million acre-feet annually will have no immediate impact on public <br />water supplies. "In the short term we will have plenty of water for agriculture and domestic use," Robbins said. "But as <br />we look to the future, we must find innovative ways to efficiently make use of our most precious commodity - water." <br /> <br />CJJc.k_here to download a chart of Interior-approved water orders for Colorado River flows. <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY DAILY * GREENWIRE * LAND LETTER * E&E PUBLISHING, LLC <br /> <br />~ I'liHLlSIII.\(;. LLC <br /> <br />122 C. St. NW1 Ste. 722 Washingtonl D.C. 20001 <br /> <br />http://www.eenews.net/Landletter/Backissues/Ol0203/01020309.htm <br /> <br />1/3/03 <br />