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Imperial Valley Conservation Efforts Benefit San Diego, Southwest

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The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors visited the Imperial Valley January 30 for a day-long tour that highlighted areas critical to the agency’s Regional Conveyance System Study.

Board members approved a study in July 2019, to evaluate a new regional water conveyance system that would deliver water from the Colorado River to San Diego County and provide multiple benefits across the Southwest.  The Board will hear results from the first phase of the study this spring before deciding whether to move ahead with Phase B.

Imperial Valley tour of potential routes for regional conveyance

The tour started in southwestern Imperial County, where the All-American Canal meets the Westside Main Canal, an historic location where, starting in 1919, water from a canal system in Mexico first flowed into the western half of the Imperial Valley. It is also the place where three potential routes for a new water conveyance system, now being analyzed in the study, would begin.

“The goal of the study is to determine first, whether there is a cost benefit to the Water Authority and its member agencies in the long-term to build a regional conveyance system to transport our independent Colorado River supplies from the Imperial Valley directly to San Diego County,” said Dan Denham, the Water Authority’s deputy general manager.

One specific benefit to the Water Authority, the Imperial Irrigation District, and farmers in the Imperial Valley, would be the proposal to build an operational storage facility in the valley’s western area. The facility could help manage water deliveries to serve the needs of agriculture in the valley, while helping the Water Authority manage its transfer supply.

The trip included visits to several agriculture fields for a first-hand look at the latest conservation techniques used by farmers under the 2003 Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement.

Tom Brundy: Conservation is ‘extremely important’

Tom Brundy has been farming in the Imperial Valley for more than 40 years, and today he grows hay on 4,000 acres. Most of the hay produced by the farm is sold to customers in San Diego County, one of many connections between Imperial and San Diego counties.

“Every farmer in Imperial County is conserving water, and quite a bit,” said Tom Brundy, president of the Imperial County Farm Bureau. “I have subsurface drip on alfalfa, we’re using soil monitors and soil sensors to help us in our water scheduling, and we continue to modify our methods using new technology that saves water.”

Farmer Alex Jack: ‘out of the box thinking’

Jack Bros. Inc. also is an innovator in on-farm conservation. Alex Jack is a third-generation farmer using pump back systems and permanent drip irrigation. Many of his crops, from lettuce to cauliflower, are grown with zero water runoff.

Jack calls his progressive approach “out of the box thinking.”

“My goal is to be the best farmer possible,” said Jack. “If I happen to conserve water, that’s fantastic, but most of the new high-technology methods are conserving water.”

Salton Sea Restoration Program

The east side of the Salton Sea was the final stop on the Imperial Valley tour. Board members got an update on restoration efforts, including the 500-acre Red Hill Marina Wetlands Project, one of the first Salton Sea Management Program projects.

Representatives from the California Department of Water Resources, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Imperial Irrigation District described how the area was once a prime bird-watching location before the Salton Sea began receding. The 500-acre project will decrease dust emissions by creating a shallow marine habitat using water from the Salton Sea and a nearby river.

The project is a partnership between the federal and state government, and the Imperial Irrigation District – with a portion of the funding coming from a federal assistance program that the Quantification Settlement Agreement Joint Powers Authority helped fund. Work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The Imperial Valley tour, which highlighted the partnerships between San Diego and Imperial County, was part of an on-going series of tours led by the Water Authority’s Colorado River Program.

All-American Canal

Study to Explore New Regional Water Conveyance System

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The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors last week approved a contract to study the viability of a new regional water conveyance system that would deliver water from the Colorado River to San Diego County and provide multiple benefits across the Southwest.

The $1.9 million contract was awarded to Black & Veatch Corporation for a two-phase study. The engineering firm conducted similar studies for the Water Authority dating back to 1996 but looked at “single use” in those studies.

“A regional system to move our independent Colorado River supplies from the Imperial Valley directly to San Diego County could be more cost-effective, while also providing multiple benefits for California and the Southwest,” said Kelly Rodgers, director of the Water Authority’s Colorado River Program. “The study will assess the potential for new regional and public-private partnerships and funding opportunities.”

Three potential pipeline routes studied

The Water Authority currently pays the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to transport Quantification Settlement Agreement water through the Colorado River Aqueduct to San Diego.

The pipeline under study would be designed at a capacity to convey the QSA water, which in 2021 will reach its full amount of 280,000 acre-feet of water annually. The current Water Transfer Agreement between the Imperial Irrigation District and the Water Authority continues to 2047. But both agencies can agree to extend the transfer another 30 years to 2077.

Three potential routes for the pipeline will be considered as part of an initial screening of the alternatives during the first phase of the study. The study will also consider elements such as permit and environmental regulations, and risk, cost and economic analysis.

Phase 1 of regional water system study will take one year

The first phase of the study, projected to cost $1.3 million, is expected to be completed in summer 2020. The Board will then determine whether to go forward with phase 2 of the study.

Pending Board approval, the second phase will include the final screening of alternatives based on refinement of site layouts, pipeline alignment and tunneling requirements, and risk, cost and economic analysis. The second phase will cost $590,00 and is expected to take one year to complete.

The Board previously approved funds for this study at its June 27 meeting.

Map indicates three potential routes for a proposed regional pipeline system that would move Quantification Settlement Agreement water directly from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. Two of the routes (the light blue and purple lines) follow a southern route. The third proposed route (shown in both a yellow and darker blue line) follows a northern path. Graphic: Water Authority

Conveyance routes would connect to All-American Canal

As the study gets underway, there are three routes under consideration. Each of those routes would connect to the tail end of the All-American Canal where it meets the Westside Main Canal in the southwest corner of the Imperial Valley.

Two of the routes would follow a southern corridor between the Imperial Valley and San Diego, with one route over the mountains paralleling the U.S./Mexico border and the other tunneling through the mountains. Both routes would end at the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside.

The third and northernmost route would follow the Westside Main Canal toward the Salton Sea, then flow past Borrego Springs, and through the mountains. It would eventually connect to the Water Authority’s Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant in San Marcos.

The pipeline system is one of a handful of visionary ideas being discussed by San Diego County water leaders to enhance partnerships and solutions that make sense locally and more broadly as part of Governor Newsom’s Water Portfolio Program to develop resiliency statewide.

All-American Canal in Imperial County

Study to Assess Regional Pipeline for Delivering Colorado River Water

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A new study will explore the viability of a regional pipeline to transfer water from the Colorado River to benefit multiple users in San Diego County and across the Southwest.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors approved funds for the two-year study at its June 27 Board meeting. The pipeline system is one of a handful of ideas being discussed by San Diego County water leaders to enhance partnerships and solutions that make sense locally and more broadly as part of Governor Newsom’s Water Portfolio Program to develop resiliency statewide.

Regional pipeline

The Water Authority’s upcoming study will look at a regional conveyance system that could move Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) transfer water directly between the Imperial Valley and San Diego. The Colorado River Aqueduct currently conveys the QSA water through Riverside County before it flows to San Diego.

“It may be an idea whose time has come,” said Erik Ortega, president of the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors, referring to a proposed regional conveyance system.

Creating a pipeline to transfer Colorado River water to the San Diego region has been studied periodically over decades.

But the new study is focused on how a regional pipeline could provide multiple benefits as part of a long-term water management strategy for California and the Southwest.

Water storage

The expanded review will consider a system that could create much-needed storage opportunities for the IID that could support agriculture while addressing critical issues like the Salton Sea and the need for more renewable energy development.

Graphic shows three proposed regional pipeline routes to deliver Colorado River Water

Map shows three potential routes for a proposed regional pipeline system that would move Quantification Settlement Agreement water directly from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. Two of the routes (the light blue and purple lines) follow a southern route. The third proposed route, (shown in both a yellow and darker blue line) follows a northern path. Graphic: Water Authority

Three pipeline routes

The pipeline under study would be designed at a capacity to convey the QSA water, which in 2021 will reach its full amount of 280,000 acre-feet of water annually. The current Water Transfer Agreement between IID and the Water Authority continues to 2047. But both agencies can agree to extend the transfer another 30 years to 2077.

As the study gets under way, there are three routes under consideration. Each of those routes would connect to the tail end of the All-American Canal where it meets the Westside Main Canal in the southwest corner of the Imperial Valley.

Two of the routes would follow a southern corridor between the Imperial Valley and San Diego, with one route over the mountains paralleling the U.S./Mexico border and the other tunneling underneath the mountains. Both routes would lead to the San Vicente Reservoir in San Diego.

The third and northernmost route would follow the Westside Main Canal toward the Salton Sea, then flow past Borrego Springs, and through the mountains. It would eventually connect to the Water Authority’s Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant in San Marcos.

Salton Sea Management Program projects are moving ahead with new state funding. Photo: Water Authority

Electeds See Commitment, Momentum at Salton Sea

/in , /by by Darren Simon

Momentum for Salton Sea restoration is growing quickly these days and the effort could amass $600 million in state funding by the end of 2018 – a huge increase from just a few months ago.

On June 5, California voters supported Proposition 68, the $4.1 billion water bond that specifically included $200 million for Salton Sea restoration. During a recent press conference, state Senator Ben Hueso, who represents portions of San Diego and Imperial counties, thanked voters for passing Proposition 68 and said the State of California is committed to funding restoration efforts at the sea.

Salton Sea phased restoration program receives $170 million

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, who represents parts of Riverside and Imperial counties, said $170 million of that funding is for the state to implement its phased restoration program, called the Salton Sea Management Program, and $30 million is for the Salton Sea Authority, which is working with the state on restoration. Of the $30 million portion, $10 million is destined for improving the New River, a main tributary that flows from Mexico into the Salton Sea.

Garcia also said that if other projects funded by Proposition 68 do not materialize, the Salton Sea could benefit from up to $200 million more. And he highlighted additional money that could help: In November, California voters will be asked to support another water bond that would provide an additional $200 million for the sea.

Garcia said it is realistic to think that by year’s end, the sea could have up to a total of almost $600 million in state funding to implement the management plan.

Hueso: Legislation introduced to create local authority

Hueso spoke about legislation he introduced to create a local authority to restore the sea and about public-private partnerships that could further advance Salton Sea restoration. “The area around the sea can be a very healthy place to live,” Hueso said. “That is our goal.”

Garcia said the first 10 years of the state’s management plan for the sea includes two focused goals — addressing public health and the ecological system. He is also working with legislation to advance the development of geothermal energy in California with the intent that geothermal development can be a piece of the restoration program at the Salton Sea.

“The ball is moving down the court,” Garcia said, adding: “The idea nothing is happening is not factual.”
Bruce Wilcox, assistant secretary of California Natural Resources in charge of Salton Sea policy, said with the passage of Prop. 68, he is more optimistic about the sea than he has been in years. He said Salton Sea Management Program projects are moving ahead and that in September there will be a new round of public meetings to share information and receive input on the program.

Regarding 11 proposals submitted to the state for importing water to the sea, Wilcox said a committee will be reviewing them to determine which ones will move forward to another phase of consideration. The proposals involve importing water from the Sea of Cortez to the Salton Sea, which state officials say could represent a long-term solution. While that process moves forward, the state remains focused on addressing the immediate air quality and habitat needs at the sea and surrounding communities.

Salton Sea workshop meeting people

Workshop Highlights Progress at the Salton Sea

/in /by /Water News Network Staffby Darren Simon

EL CENTRO – High-ranking agency officials delivered a simple – but critical – message during a standing-room only forum on Salton Sea issues in early March: The current Salton Sea Management Plan represents the best path forward for addressing immediate needs at the sea while laying the groundwork for long-term restoration.

Speakers emphasized that for the first time the State of California has a feasible plan for meeting its restoration obligations under state legislation related to the 2003 Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement.

In addition, funding sources are materializing to help make the management plan a reality and protect public health. Proposition 68, a water bond that would provide $200 million for Salton Sea restoration, will go to California voters in June. If approved, that bond would add on to an earlier bond that provided $80 million for Salton Sea restoration.

The March 5 workshop was the first of two organized by IID, the San Diego County Water Authority, Imperial County and the California Natural Resources Agency to keep the public informed about state restoration efforts at the sea. The state is working under the Stipulated Order, an amendment to the state’s original water order approving the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement. The Stipulated Order – drafted by IID, the Water Authority and Imperial County, with support from Natural Resources and environmental organizations – requires the state to provide 30,000 acres of habitat and air quality projects at the sea over the next 10 years.

Speakers included IID General Manager Kevin Kelley, IID Water Manager Tina Shields, Imperial County Deputy County Executive Officer Andy Horne, Water Authority Assistant General Manager Dan Denham and Natural Resources Assistant Secretary Bruce Wilcox, who oversees Salton Sea policies. Each speaker discussed the importance of the Stipulated Order for ensuring annual progress on the State’s Salton Sea Management Program, a phased approach to restoration.

Presenters made several key points, including that the longstanding environmental issues at the sea will not be solved by work done under the first 10 years of the management plan. Under the Stipulated Order, the state must have a long-term restoration plan in place in 2022. Denham emphasized that progress toward restoration must quickly translate to on-the-ground projects.

Kelley said it’s also crucial that other Basin States endorse the Salton Sea Management Plan – which they have begun to do – because a unified front could ultimately deliver more positive results.

While the state restoration program is in the earliest stages, a separate effort has been under way since the QSA was signed to implement an environmental mitigation program that addresses any impacts associated with the QSA. That mitigation program – led by a Joint Powers Authority comprising IID, the Water Authority, Coachella Valley Water District and the State of California –  provided mitigation water to the Sea for the first 15 years of the QSA until December 2017.

As of 2018, the mitigation focus shifted to an air quality program that includes on-the-ground projects, which can work together with the state’s restoration program. Already, the JPA has funded pilot projects on more than 1,000 acres near the sea. This year, 3,000 acres of new dust control projects are planned.