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<br />NEWS FROM EscoNllll)(), VALLEY CENTER. RAMON"-. SAN MARCOS, VISTA, POWA", RANCIIO BERNAROO, FALlBROOK ANt) AllCf N~TH C.
<br />
<br />FRIDAY, DEaMw. 12, 1997
<br />,
<br />
<br />WATER DEAL AT A GLANCE
<br />
<br />. The Impel1tl1lrrigatJon DIstrict would become a second maIcJI ....ater
<br />supplier lor San Dleeo County. break1rw 8 vlrlual monopoly held by tile
<br />Metropolitan Water Dlsll1ct or Southern Calirornla, the reglon's 'Nater
<br />wholesaler.
<br />. This neoJt source of W8ter would slgnlllclrltly reduce lhe Weal or
<br />drwght
<br />. Imperllll wouklsel1 the CQUllt)' up 10 200,(0) acre-leel of water a
<br />year - sllgtltJy less then halt or Ihe COISlty"S ihlUaI consumptlon-
<br />lor 45 :;en. wIlh <r'l opUon to extend 1M contract tor MOther 30
<br />)'ears. The water 'MlU1d be milde avaIlable mainly ttv'olch
<br />c.onsehatJoo measures by lmpenallfalley larme~.
<br />. nw~ III 000\Ple~ bmulL\. U\e 'Water \$ IUDt'lneed \0 be less
<br />elpeflsMl tha(I wal8f the CQt.I'lty now IxJys from the MetropolItan
<br />wale.- Dstrict 01 Southern California.
<br />. The deal. If ~ ~ bolh i!lIil.encles' boards 01 dlrect0r5,....ou1d
<br />'lakee"ectln 1999.
<br />
<br />FRIDAY, DIH.M!lo. 11, 1991
<br />
<br />AN EllITION OF THE Nl)RTII COUNTY TIMES
<br />
<br />)~ ClNTS ......IIU\.UI
<br />
<br />Deal flows out of water talks
<br />
<br />. Thirsty San Diego
<br />plans to buy water
<br />lTom Imperial County
<br />
<br />JONATHAN HEWR
<br />SrMIWAlTl:A
<br />
<br />SAN DIEGO - Aher more
<br />th.an twO years of negotialions.,
<br />leaders from San Diego and Im.
<br />perial counties unveiled final
<br />lerms Thursday of a deal to
<br />
<br />move miUions of gallons of con-
<br />served farm waler to the
<br />drought.prone COBSI.
<br />lIeralded as economically
<br />essential to both regions. rhe
<br />deal is being touled as a model
<br />for Culure agreements among
<br />California and other Western
<br />slales lhat draw wafer from the
<br />Colonu.l.o River.
<br />The San Diego County Wa.
<br />ler AUlhorily plans 10 buy up 10
<br />200,000 acre.feel of water a
<br />year from the Imperillllrriga-
<br />tiaR Disoict in a 45-year agree-
<br />ment beginning in 1999. The
<br />
<br />deal could be exlended anoth-
<br />er 30 years.
<br />An acre.foot is 326,000 gal.
<br />Ions, enough to meet lhe Bver.
<br />age annual needs of two fami.
<br />lies. The 200,OOO.acre.foot fig.
<br />ure represents almost half of
<br />lhe COUnlY's annual con sump-
<br />lion.
<br />Fanners in the Imperial Val-
<br />ley would supply the water
<br />mainly through conservation
<br />measures., which do not include
<br />{allowing Iheir land, or leuing
<br />it dry up.
<br />The historic plan was con-
<br />
<br />ceived in 1991 during Southern
<br />California's last serious
<br />droUghl, which forced culbac.ks
<br />in waler use and threatened in.
<br />dustry, said Water Authority
<br />chairwoman Christine Frahm.
<br />"The leaders (of the San
<br />Diego region) got focused dur-
<br />ing that drought and said never
<br />again," Frahm said. "Our $87
<br />billion economy needs to be
<br />protected from the devastation
<br />of drought."
<br />The Water Aulhoriry and 1m.
<br />
<br />)00 DEAL,A-7
<br />
<br />(PSE)
<br />
<br />NOIlTH Q~ltm TI~tES 11.7
<br />
<br />>- DEAL
<br />."
<br />.'
<br />'c.n.....uKrr-A.1
<br />
<br />'. ~ri<11 boards are expecled to ap-
<br />: prove the deal by February.
<br />. .' Nol only would the Imperial
<br />,waler reduce lhe threal or
<br />. dluug,ht by }lJOviding San Diego
<br />. ~WllY widl a secund major sup-
<br />.f?lier, bUlthe waler is guaranteed
<br />'.tp b~ l:heaper than water now
<br />.'tvailable frum Ihe Melropolifan
<br />,Waler Dislrict of Southern Cali.
<br />~(omia, the region's waler whole-
<br />..?Ier.
<br />..... The price would stan at $249
<br />:~r acre-fOOl and can be renego-
<br />lialed aher 10 years. The price
<br />
<br />does nol include the fee Melro.
<br />politan WOInlS lu charge Ihe Wa.
<br />ter Authorily to convey, or
<br />"wheel," Ihe Wilter Ihrough ils
<br />aqueduct, which is Ihe only
<br />pipclille from Ihe Culurado River
<br />10 Ihe coast.
<br />The wheeling rale has been
<br />the subjet:1 of inl~nse debale be-
<br />tween the Waler AU1horil}l and
<br />Meuopolililn. The Waler Authori.
<br />ty thinks $68 per acn.....Cuot would
<br />be a fair cale, making lhe lo[al
<br />starling COSI of Imperiill wau:r
<br />$317 vcr acre.foot.
<br />Melropolilan now sells water
<br />TO San Diego for $400 per acre-
<br />fool.
<br />Through a complex formula,
<br />Ihe Waler Authorily.lmperial
<br />
<br />deal uses MClropolilan's waler
<br />rate as a hilse, Ihell adds Ihe
<br />wheeling charge, Ihen subtracIs
<br />11 discount Ihal Will i:mdually de.
<br />dine (mill 25 percenl 10 5 per.
<br />cen! over 17 years. Till..' formu]<l
<br />guarante~s th~ Imperial waler
<br />will always be cheaper, Frahm
<br />silid.
<br />'1lC tl'"rms are roughly .!.imilar
<br />1(1 tho~ annoum:ed in a t~nlalivc
<br />pan last Year.
<br />The majur variable is rhe
<br />whee]illg r.ue, l1le Wilr~r Author-
<br />il)' alld M~lropolitan have heell
<br />wrangling over Ihe rdle and .1Il.
<br />nounced significanl I-'rogress in
<br />Ihose lalks ]aSI weekend. NegOli.
<br />alions :1fe scheduled to conlinue
<br />Ihis weekend.
<br />
<br />l11e issue is also in lhe hands
<br />of a SiJn Francisco judge. Metro-
<br />polilan essenlially sued ilself 10
<br />see ir the proposed raIl..' would
<br />hold up 10 expecled legal chal.
<br />lengcs.
<br />A fimtl decision isn'l expected
<br />unlil early 1998. If all else fails, a
<br />legislalive solulion mighl be
<br />nceded, Cuv. l'cle Wilson has
<br />said.
<br />80lh Ihe Water AUlhorilY and
<br />Imperial officials said Ihe Iwu
<br />years of negUl iatitlllS would have
<br />failed if nul (ur the respect and
<br />sense of partnership Ihal grew
<br />between the fwO sideS.
<br />"To me, this whole issue is
<br />aOOm trusf; ii's aboul team," said
<br />lJuyd AJlen, vice president of Ihe
<br />
<br />tc.Sl
<br />
<br />Imperiallnigalion Dislricl.
<br />Carlsbad Mayor Bud Lewis,
<br />who was recently appointed 10
<br />_he Melropoli!an board, said
<br />Ihal wilhoul the deal, the cily
<br />could nUl pruvide assurances 10
<br />businesses considering a move to
<br />Ihe area or a reliable water sup-
<br />ply.
<br />This is crucial because many
<br />Norlh County cities are in a
<br />growth mode and are IIggressive-
<br />Iy Irying 10 lure new industry,
<br />Lewis said. "We are II thriving in.
<br />duslrial community and water is
<br />the key."
<br />Stale Sen: David Kelley, R.
<br />Idyllwild, called Ihe deal Ihe
<br />"cornerslone'~ of a plan for Cali.
<br />fornia 10 live wilhin its annual al-
<br />
<br />lutment of Colorado Rjver water,
<br />which is 4.4 million acre-feel.
<br />Currenlly the slale uses 5.3 mil.
<br />lion acre. feet, and U.S. Inrerior
<br />Secfelal)' Bruce Babbitt last year
<br />challenged Ihe Slate to live with-
<br />in its share.
<br />Other slales that draw from
<br />lhe Colorado River, including
<br />Arizona, Ulah and Nevada, will
<br />be inleresled 10 see how San
<br />Diego scored more waler with.
<br />oul increasing Ihe Slale's allol.
<br />menl, he said. As cities in Ihose
<br />Slates grow, they'll li\<.ely (ace
<br />the same problems as San
<br />Diego.
<br />"Olher stales will look al this
<br />very closely to see how it comes
<br />logether," Kelley said.
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