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.. . . Greenwire Page 1 of2 Al/a.dJlM.t2n.(. '1 Monday, January 13, 2003 WATER liD board sues Interior over reductions Two weeks after the Interior Department began reducing Callfornia's take of Colorado River water, the affected Imperial Irrigation District filed suit on Friday seeking an injunction. Expecting a reduction in urban Southern California's Colorado River allotment, the liD's board members expressed surprise and frustration that its allotment would be cut as well. The Metropolitan Water district, which serves urban areas in the southern part of the state, including San Diego, will see a 134- billion gallon reduction. The liD is expected to iose 67 biliion gallons (Gig Conaughton, North Countv Times). Assistant Interior Secretary Bennett Raley announced the pianned reductions Dec. 27, warning the liD it could iose 7 percent of its take if it did not agree to a water-transfer agreement by the Dec. 31 deadline. The water-transfer was intended as the first step in reducing California's take of the Coiorado River. For years, the state has taken more than its allotted share, and the six other states that depend on the river for water signed an accord with California two years ago to correct the unbalance. But the Dec. 31 deadline passed without a signed agreement (Land Letter, Jan. 2). In a letter to interior Secretary Gale Norton, Lloyd Allen, liD board president, wrote: "Simply stated, the action of your department is misguided, unjustified, unsupported by the law or the facts, and is an example of heavy-handed and unwarranted federal interference with intrastate water allocation matters." Allen said Norton's "actions are in stark contrast to the principles of the Bush administration" (Dean E. Murphy, New York Times, Jan. 12). Raley said the lawsuit "is not unexpected." He said the Interior Department is "fully prepared for a court challenge" (Tony Perry, Los Anqeles Times). With depleting water supplies, California investigates salt water The MWD is currently working on plans for five desalination plants that wouid enabie it to pull 7 percent of its water supply from the ocean. New technoiogy wouid enabie the plants to turn the salt water into drinking water. MWD tentatively approved the proposals in December. The plants now await environmental reviews. Desalination critics say the process is expensive and environmentaliy harmful. Filtration of two gallons of sea water produces one galion of freshwater and one gallon of concentrated sait water. The brine is dumped back in the ocean, which, according to the California Coastal Commission, can harm sea creatures. But advocates say desalination is necessary. "There's only so much you can conserve," said Steven Erie, political science professor and water expert at the University of California-San Diego. "The future is recycling and desalination" (Laura Wides, APiSan Francisco Chronicle online). (All cites Jan. 11 unless noted.) -. MV t...~.llw"",,"''',1P ........._.....~....... .........+In_.....~_w....:__ID__1~:__..__1^11..,^.., 'A1" ............. --~