Posts

Imperial County Hits IID, Feds with Violation Notice for Salton Sea Air Pollution

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sun by Mark Olalde

The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District on Tuesday hit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Imperial Irrigation District with notices of violation for ongoing pollution at a long-stalled Salton Sea restoration project.

The violations allege that the federal agency and the water district have only made sporadic attempts since 2016 to complete work at the several-hundred-acre Red Hill Bay site, “causing numerous instances of elevated levels of airborne dust.”

Full Story

A COVID-19 Hit to Public Power? For Some, it’s Not All Bad

/in , /by /Utility Diveby Matthew Bandyk

At a May meeting of the board of directors of the Brownsville, Texas, Board of Public Works, the utility’s director of finance Mike Perez made an announcement that was perhaps surprising in the middle of a pandemic.

“April was a good month,” Perez said. Revenue was up, in part due to customers staying home and using more electricity. Accounts receivable were “in line” with the same period a year ago, indicating that customers were mostly able to pay their bills. “We are not seeing anything alarming so far,” Perez said.

Full Story

IID, County Transitioning Workforces Back in House

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Michael Maresh

Although COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket locally, both Imperial County and the Imperial Irrigation District have started transitioning from telecommuting to having their employees return to their usual work sites.

Full Story

California Legislature Votes to Keep Funding for Salton Sea Project in State Budget Proposal

/in , , /by /KESQ Palm Springsby Madison Weil

The California legislature voted Monday to keep the Salton Sea in its budget proposal sent to Governor Gavin Newsom. Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia said he’s pleased the legislature found a way to allocate some funding for the Salton Sea despite the fiscal challenges created by the pandemic.

Full Story

IID and Farmer Michael Abatti Square Off Over the Imperial Valley’s Water

/in , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Mark Olalde

Water is power in California’s Imperial Valley, and a years-long fight over allocations from the Colorado River to the agriculture-heavy region landed back in court on Friday. Attorneys representing local farmers and the Imperial Irrigation District squared off in front of a three-judge panel at the state appellate court level over a water-rights lawsuit expected to be decided in 90 days.

Full Story

Oral Arguments in IID’s Abatti Appeal Set for Friday

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Michael Maresh

A three-member Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeals panel at 9 a.m. Friday will listen to oral arguments in the Imperial Irrigation District’s appeal of a 2017 Superior Court ruling in favor of former IID director and local farmer Mike Abatti on water rights.

Full Story

IID Begins Third Wave of Sheltering Employees at Work

/in , , /by /KYMA/KECY (El Centro, Calif.)by Sumiko Keil

Imperial Irrigation District extends its voluntary on-site shelter-in-place program at designated critical facilities for a core group of employees.

In the third phase, 10 employees will work 12-hour shifts over 21 consecutive days at IID facilities 24 hours a day.

The sheltered employees will continue to maintain the district’s essential water and energy operations for customers who rely on these services in the harsh desert climate of the Imperial and Coachella Valleys.

Full Story

Opinion: Concerning the Colorado River

/in , , /by /Pagosa Daily Post (Pagosa Springs, Colorado)by J.B. Hamby

My name is JB Hamby and I am a general election candidate for the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors and fourth-generation resident of the Imperial Valley.

I read Mr. Hudson’s op-ed, “Clean Drinking Water, Considered, Part Five” and share much of his skepticism regarding the conversation happening along the Colorado River, its tributaries, and the special interests that surround it.

However, I did want to reach out and share some concerns with a few points raised in the editorial — specifically the comments on Imperial Valley.

Full Story

IID Begins Second Wave of Sheltering Employees at Work

/in , , /by /NBC Palm Springsby Taylor Martinez

Imperial Irrigation District, California’s third largest public power provider and the largest irrigation district in the nation, will be extending its voluntary on-site shelter-in-place program at designated critical facilities for a core group of employees.

To keep employees safe and to ensure that the district’s water and energy systems remain operational during the COVID-19 pandemic, 32 district employees have been living and working at their job sites since April 25.

Full Story

Shelter in Place IID Employees to Return Home

/in , , /by /KYMA-TV (El Centro, Calif.)by Alexandra Rangel

Thirty-two Imperial Irrigation District (IID), employees committed to serving the community are finally going home after three weeks of fully committing to living at their job site to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The IID’s shelter in place program housed 32 essential employees in individual trailers.

All this was done to make sure employees stay protected in order to continue to bring water and energy to the 400,000 people they serve in the Imperial and Coachella Valley.