WSP00263 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

.- I i i increased use in both the Palo Verde and Imp~rial Irrigation Districts. The Metropolitan Water District has been using about 1.2 maf of Colorado River water. Where is California going? Apparently,! considerable reliance is being put on I the prospect of intrastate water marketing, in ~articular on transfers of Colorado River water from agricultural to urban use. Presumably, much of that water would come from agricultural efficiency gains based Ion water saved through conservation technologies, funded by urban interests. That was the approach taken in a 1989 MWD/IID conservation plan designed to gen~rate about 100,000 acre-feet per year. I Other techniques that have been explored are dry-year options, a means for meeting short tenn deficits in supply through volunt~ agreements by fanners to forego use of river water during periods of shortage; and ~and fallowing, a more controversial approach because of its potential impact on a~cultural communities. During the last year, lID and San Diego initiated an ambi~ious effort aimed at transferring large quantities ofwater--several hundred thousand 'acre-feet per year--from the Imperial Valley to the city. . Water Transfers Throvgh Marketing I . I . , As I,emphasize<tlast year, I believe that water marketing is an important tool that can help us to use,the,water in tl1e,Colora(:lo River more effectively, and in particular that it can J:>e ,~portant inmeetjng <:;allfornia's long tenn need to bring its demand in line with availaqlesupply. Howev,e~,some serious obstacles stand in the way of implementing market-based, transfers. t. believe I can now usefully take several steps to help effectuat. e suo ch transfi. :;:~~~nt Wit.h the Law of the River and the fundamental prellepHhat"'Out' ~oaH - . ent of the River to make the most effective use of the limited resource we ijave. I am initiating the following actions regarding marketing: i 1. First, transfe~s must be founded on a baseline quantum of beneficially-used water from which savings can be made. I kno*, that some basin interests have expressed concern about increased water use ~y the Imperial Irrigation District attributable to various factors, including chan~g cropping patterns. We have some real concern about this as well. The Bureau of Reclamation has been working on a cooperative arrangement with the Imperial Irrigation District to detennine the amount of water lID is beneficially using. Thill is a desirable step, and I have instructed the Bureau to seek to implement it ~s expeditiously as possible. Such I , i , i 4 I