Posts

State Launches Salton Sea Restoration Effort

/in , , /by /KPBSby Erik Anderson

California is poised to begin the first major restoration project at the Salton Sea. The state is investing more than $200 million in a project that will create flooded ponds and other habitats on the exposed lakebed at the southern edge of the lake. “We’ll complete the work over the next two-and-a-half years, I believe completing the project in 2023,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. The Salton Sea has been shrinking rapidly and exposing a dusty lakebed since the Imperial Irrigation District stopped feeding the state’s largest lake mitigation water in 2018.

Full Story

Opinion: An Independent Colorado River Aqueduct Could Be a Money Saver for San Diego

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Gary Croucher Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s an old saying that those who don’t remember history are destined to repeat it.

And that certainly holds true when it comes to securing water for this semi-arid place we call home. Those who have been around here since the early 1990s remember when we relied on a single Los Angeles-based water agency to meet almost all of our water needs — and we paid for it with traumatic supply cuts that crippled our economy.

Thankfully, three decades of regional investments have changed San Diego’s story for the better. Planning and investments by the San Diego County Water Authority and our 24 local retail member agencies have produced and will continue to ensure one of the most reliable water supplies in California.

Full Story

Water Authority Exploring New Aqueduct Plan

/in , /by /Mission Times Courier Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Addressing the San Diego region’s limited local water supplies with innovative ideas is something the San Diego County Water Authority has become known for. Using expertise gained from decades of successful planning and projects, the Water Authority is developing strategies to reduce the future cost of water that sustains the economy and quality of life across the county.

Full Story

Imperial County Launches the First Ever Point of Entry Pilot Project

/in , , /by /KYMA Imperial Countyby Mercedes Martinez

The Point of Entry Pilot project was launched by the Imperial County Division of Environmental Health and the Imperial Irrigation District. Jorge a. Perez, Environmental Health Services Manager, said it started with a study that Cal State San Marcos did through the National Latino Research Center. It made broad claims about the water quality in Imperial valley; regarding the “not so good” water quality.

Full Story

IID Board Members Assigned to Various Regional Boards Despite Tensions

/in , /by /The Desert Review (Imperial Valley)by Betty Miller

During Imperial Irrigation District Board meeting director comments, Norma Galindo commented from her remote distancing location, and started off memorializing recently passed, former IID General Manager, Kevin Kelley, then segued into a discourse about prayer.

“We talk about prayer, I don’t believe many do, or if they do, they pray for the wrong thing. I am troubled by the hypocrisy in our leadership when we talk about praying. We aren’t willing to talk with each other to resolve issues. It is a time to reflect, let bygones be bygones. I would hope Director Hamby would have the gumption to meet with me face to face to address issues. I know we can work together, and Director Hanks.”

Full Story

Colorado River Getting Saltier Sparks Calls for Federal Help

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Emily C. Dooley

Water suppliers along the drought-stricken Colorado River hope to tackle another tricky issue after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation installs a new leader: salty water.

The river provides water for 40 million people from Colorado to California, and helps irrigate 5.5 million acres of farm and ranchland in the U.S. But all that water also comes with 9 million tons of salt that flow through the system as it heads to Mexico, both due to natural occurrence and runoff, mostly from agriculture. Salt can hurt crop production, corrode drinking water pipes, and cause other damage.

Full Story

IID to Finalize Conserved Water Payments to Growers

/in , , /by /The Desert Reviewby Betty Miller

A constant agenda item for the Imperial Irrigation District and local growers and landowners has been the payment of conserved water, the On Farm Efficiency Conservation Program. Part of the Quantitative Settlement Agreement of 2003 is the Valley’s commitment to conserve water to send to urban cities on the coast, which the beneficiaries pay. The conserved water was first done by fallowing, which was never a popular direction, but it was unknown how much of the agreed upon water transfer could be done by growers’ efforts.

Full Story

Wall Street Eyes Billions in the Colorado’s Water

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Ben Ryder Howe

There is a myth about water in the Western United States, which is that there is not enough of it. But those who deal closely with water will tell you this is false. There is plenty. It is just in the wrong places.

Full Story

Tired of Waiting on Salton Sea Fixes, Desert Shores Residents Take a Stand

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

These days, the house where Donna and John Winters planned to retire in the Southern California desert reflects in a stagnant pool of blood red water, their dream home becoming something of a nightmare.

Full Story

Climate’s Toll on the Colorado River: ‘We Can Weather Maybe a Couple of Years’

/in , , /by /The Arizona Republicby Ian James

Beside a river that winds through a mountain valley, the charred trunks of pine trees lie toppled on the blackened ground, covered in a thin layer of fresh snow. Weeks after flames ripped through this alpine forest, a smoky odor still lingers in the air.

The fire, called the East Troublesome, burned later into the fall than what once was normal. It cut across Rocky Mountain National Park, racing up and over the Continental Divide. It raged in the headwaters of the Colorado River, reducing thick forests to ashes and scorching the ground along the river’s banks.

Full Story