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<br />In the News
<br />
<br />New Player in Imperial Valley Water Marketing Game
<br />A new player entered the ongoing tug-of-war over Imperial Valley water in
<br />August when U.S. Filter Corp. announced it had acquired the 45,000-acre
<br />Western Farms owned by the Bass brothers in exchange for 8 million shares of
<br />stock. As of the stock market's close Aug. 25, the shares were worth $289 million.
<br />"We now add the most important product - the water - to our one-stop
<br />business strategy," said Richard Heckmann, U.S. Filter chairman, president and
<br />CEO in an Aug. 4 press release.
<br />Based in Palm Desert, Calif., U.S. Filter is the leading global provider of
<br />water and wastewater treatment equipment, systems and services, including super-
<br />treated water for the computer industry. The Texas-based, billionaire Bass brothers
<br />have played a leading role in the proposal to conserve and transfer water from the
<br />Imperial Valley to San Diego.
<br />In the same press release, Western Farms President Ardon Moore praised "a
<br />new partnership that we see as the perfect way to continue our focus on helping
<br />the Imperial Valley strengthen its agricultural economy while providing reliable
<br />and more affordable water supplies to urban areas."
<br />Although a Wall Street]ournal article heralded the deal as giving U.S. Filter
<br />rights to 250,000 acre-feet of water that it can sell to urban water interests for up
<br />to 28 times its costs, those close to the situation said the change in land ownership
<br />doesn't change the basic water marketing equation.
<br />The landowners still do not hold individual rights to Colorado River water.
<br />"The water rights are held in trust by the district," said Paul Cunningham,
<br />manager of external affairs for Imperial Irrigation District (lID). "Western
<br />Farms has the right to use the water, but any transfer needs to go through liD's
<br />elected board."
<br />The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) still maintains that it comes
<br />next in the priority order before any water is transfered. "I don't think it changed
<br />any of the real issues between the California parties," said Tom Levy, general
<br />manager of CVWD. "Whether U.S. Filter is able to achieve what they want is
<br />going to depend on the California process being successful in solving our
<br />problems, including Coachella's."
<br />The urban players - San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) and
<br />Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) - still have not
<br />resolved their dispute over wheeling water through the Colorado River Aqueduct.
<br />Since liD and SDCWA announced plans to pursue a water conservation/
<br />marketing deal in September 1995, the issue has been hotly debated within and
<br />outside of the Imperial Valley. Questions raised have included how much water to
<br />transfer, what is a fair price, who should profit, water wheeling and wheeling costs.
<br />The agencies that share the Colorado River are now meeting to try and negotiate
<br />a solution that addresses these and other concerns (see page 15.)
<br />Meanwhile, U.S. Filter will explore ways in which its existing technology can
<br />stretch its own and the Imperial Valley's share of the Colorado River through
<br />conservation and treatment of agricultural drainage water, perhaps eventually
<br />marketing this water. Section 1010 of the water code allows the sale, lease,
<br />exchange or transfer of recycled, desalinated or polluted water. Conservation is
<br />a key component to free up water for transfer, although there is concern that
<br />reduction in agricultural drainage flows could further impact the Salton Sea.
<br />"We look forward to working with Imperial Valley farmers and the liD in
<br />pursuing the much-needed conservation programs already underway," Heckmann
<br />said. "This is a great way to bring much-needed capital investment to the Imperial
<br />Valley economy and preserve its agricultural heritage." .:.
<br />
<br />September/October 1997
<br />
<br />~~OZ,:)
<br />
<br />
<br />September 19
<br />Interstate Council on Water Policy
<br />Role of Water Use Efficiency in the
<br />Management of Colorado River Issues
<br />Rita Schmidt Sudman, panel moderator
<br />San Diego, CA
<br />
<br />September 24.26
<br />WEF Northern California Tour
<br />Valerie Holcomb, tour coordinator
<br />
<br />
<br />September 26.28
<br />Project WET National Coordinators Council
<br />Judy Wheatley, California WET coordinator
<br />Bozeman, MT
<br />
<br />October 3.5
<br />California Science Teacher's Assoc.
<br />Conference
<br />Judy Wheatley, presenter
<br />Palm Desert, CA
<br />
<br />
<br />October 8.10
<br />Principles of Groundwater Flow and
<br />Transport Modeling
<br />University Extension course
<br />WEF, co-sponsor
<br />Davis, CA
<br />
<br />October 15.17
<br />
<br />WEF Eastern Sierras Watershed Tour
<br />Valerie Holcomb, tour coordinator
<br />
<br />October 17.18
<br />American River Salmon Festival
<br />Judy Wheatley, education outreach
<br />Rancho Cordo.va, CA
<br />
<br />October 19
<br />Preview of public television documentary
<br />"Battle for Mono Lake"
<br />U.c. Water Resources Center Archives
<br />Rita Schmidt Sudman, panel moderator
<br />Berkeley, CA
<br />
<br />November 4.6
<br />Applied Groundwater Hydrology: Principles,
<br />Measurements and Interpretation
<br />University Extension course
<br />WEF, co-sponsor
<br />Davis, CA
<br />
<br />
<br />November 13
<br />WEF Board of Directors Meeting
<br />Berkeley, CA
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