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As we start the second full week of the new year, Imperial Valley continues to receive unwelcome news. While our elected IID Board members and key staff have been busy celebrating the growth in the Coachella Valley in ribbon cuttings IID celebrates and filing litigation against the County of Imperial (IID Files Lawsuit), the most important aspect of their responsibility seems to be slipping away from them and without any notice to the public.

For all things following the Colorado River, be aware that the interim Guidelines which established criteria for water use, expire in August 2026. The 2025 deadlines set for the seven-state negotiating team for new 2026 guidelines were missed. With that failure, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has released a report with five options for managing the Colorado River after 2026. The significance of that 1600-page report can be summarized below:

California has been declared drought-free for the first time in a quarter-century.

However, Central Valley water experts warn that the state needs to take immediate action to boost water supplies in preparation for future dry conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor declared that California does not have any drought conditions last week. That is the first time that California has not experienced drought conditions since December 2000.

Lake Shasta and California’s other lakes and reservoirs got a big boost from wet holiday storms. Nearly two weeks into 2026, all of the state’s 17 major reservoirs are brimming above their 30-year average after atmospheric rivers dumped heavy rain on much of the state starting the week before Christmas, lasting into Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Both the rain and the rainwater draining from the ground into lakes helped raise reservoir levels, the National Weather Service said.