Tag Archive for: Imperial Irrigation District

IID Pounds Pavement to Head Off Bill

/in , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Antoine Abou-Diwan

Imperial Irrigation District officials are making a last-ditch effort to amend or kill proposed legislation that could fundamentally transform the governing board of the agency, Assembly Bill 1021.

At the heart of the issue is how the bill could force the district — which provides water and power to virtually all of Imperial County, and electricity to part of the Coachella Valley — to add a seat representing energy ratepayers from a small section of southeastern Riverside County to the IID Board of Directors.

IID officials are vehemently opposed to the bill, which they see as the tip of a spear that would allow outside interests to seize control of Imperial Valley’s lifeblood, its water.

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Opinion: Two Decrees Affect California Water Wars

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

The powerful interests who vie for shares of the state’s ever-changing water supply — dubbed “water buffaloes” — are adept at fending off political and legal assaults by their rivals and the outcomes of their clashes are often stalemates.

That’s why it was surprising in June to see two game-changing decrees out of Washington, one from the new Biden administration and another from the Supreme Court, affecting two of the state’s most prominent water interests, Southern California’s Imperial Irrigation District and the San Joaquin Valley’s Westlands Water District.

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U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Hear Michael Abatti’s Colorado River Water Case Challenging IID

/in , , /by /Palm Springs Desert Sunby Janet Wilson

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday unanimously declined a petition by Imperial Valley farmer Michael Abatti claiming he and a handful of other agricultural landowners, not the Imperial Irrigation District, held senior rights to Colorado River water that nearly 40 million people across the West depend on.

The decision likely is the last stop for a torturous legal battle that dates back to 2013. As the law stands, farmers have a guaranteed right to water delivery but not a special claim above other users like homes and geothermal plants.

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Abatti Responds to IID’s Supreme Court Filing

/in , , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Elizabeth Varin

Imperial Valley grower, landowner and former elected official Michael Abatti has responded to the Imperial Irrigation District’s official filing in his U.S. Supreme Court petition. The official response was filed sometime Monday, June 7. In March, Abatti filed for a “writ of certiorari” with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District’s decision in Abatti v. Imperial Irrigation District, to which the district was ordered by the High Court to provide a formal response last month.

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IID and Assemblyman Chad Mayes Go Head-To-Head Over Proposed Legislation as IID Threatens to Exit Coachella Valley

/in , , /by /KESQby Shelby Nelson

The Imperial Irrigation District and Assemblyman Chad Mayes are at a war of words, which could potentially escalate to IID pulling out of the Coachella Valley altogether and taking legal action. The district threatened the move in response to proposed legislation by Mayes to increase the IID board of directors from 5 to 6 members, with the additional position appointed by the Fourth District Riverside County Supervisor, which is currently Manuel Perez.

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IID Files Response to Abatti’s Supreme Court Case

/in , /by /Holtville Tribuneby Elizabeth Varin

The Imperial Irrigation District has filed its initial response to Imperial Valley grower, landowner and former elected official Michael Abatti’s U.S. Supreme Court case.

Abatti filed a petition for “writ of certiorari” with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District’s decision in Abatti v. Imperial Irrigation District.

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Troubled Waters: Extended Interview with the Imperial Irrigation District

/in , , /by /KESQ-TVby Jesus Reyes

Tina Shields, the Water Department Manager of IID, speaks on the QSA, why it was implemented, and the contention between the state and IID as water was forced from agricultural communities to urban areas.

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IID Director JB Hamby Appointed to Colorado River Board of California

/in , , /by /The Desert Review

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, by way of written communication, has notified Imperial Irrigation District Board Vice President JB Hamby of his appointment to the State’s Colorado River Board, according to a recent IID press release.

“I am thankful to my colleagues on the IID Board for nominating me to serve as IID’s representative on the Colorado River Board of California,” said Director Hamby in the release. “In this role, I will have the opportunity to represent both IID as the largest user on the river and California as the largest State on the river.”

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Troubled Waters: The Salton Sea Project Part 3 – A Lake Languished

/in , , /by /KESQ (Palm Springs)by Angela Chen

Along the dusty shoreline of the Salton Sea, you could blink and you’d miss it: the Ski Inn, the only bar around the east side of the lake for 40 miles.

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Rep. Ruiz Sends Letters to IID & FWS Regarding the Red Hill Project at the Salton Sea

/in , , /by /News Channel 3by Sarah-Jayne Simon

Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. tells News Channel 3 exclusively that his office has sent letters to Fish and Wildlife Service and Imperial Irrigation District in regards to the Red Hill Bay Project at the Salton Sea.

The joint effort between IID and FWS broke ground in 2015, but has yet to be completed.

It was designed to create over 600 acres of shallow saline ponds by mixing water from the Salton Sea and the Alamo River. These new ponds would faciliate a new habitat for birds, while also preventing dust from emerging into the air.

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