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IID Looks To Improve Efficiency Of On-Farm Efficiency Conservation Program

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Press by Marcia Landeros

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors took a hard look at their On-Farm Efficiency Conservation Program (On-Farm) in the hopes that they can become more efficient at providing water efficiency savings for farmers.

IID Senior Program Manager Ben Brock, along with Water Department Manager Tina Shields, updated the Board of Directors on the lengthy and complicated process that the On-Farm program currently has perform in order to determine how much to pay farmers for the water they conserved during the IID Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, July 26.

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Galindo Handed Gavel as Next IID President

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Michael Maresh

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors will begin the New Year with Norma Galindo as its president. Galindo was elected Monday afternoon to replace Erik Ortega for the next one-year term. Director Alex Cardenas will take over as vice president, replacing James Hanks.

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IID Board Sets Terms For Future River Negotiations

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

Expecting new and more challenging negotiations to face the Imperial Irrigation District, its board Monday afternoon adopted a new set of parameters that define the scope of the district’s role in the coordinated operations of the river.

The resolution will establish Colorado River parameters as IID looks ahead to 2026 when new negotiations will define its role.

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Water Payments Projected To Exceed Cash Reserves By $3.4M

/in , , , /by /Imperial Valley Press (El Centro, Calif.)by Michael Maresh Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

The ag community at a Friday afternoon IID water conservation meeting wanted to know what the IID plans to change with water conservation payments projected to exceed the budget by $11.7 million. IID’s conservation needs under water transfer agreements with the San Diego County Water Authority and others are 303,000 acre feet. Of that, 103,000 acre feet comes from system conservation. The rest comes from on-farm water conservation.

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Conservation Has Saved 4.8 Million Acre Feet Of Water Since 2003

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Press (El Centro, Calif.)by Michael Maresh

Since 2003, Imperial Irrigation District has conserved almost 4.8 million acre feet of water, mostly through water transfers and agreements. A 1988 agreement between IID and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California near Los Angles has amounted to 1.56 million of that amount since 2003 at the Imperial Dam.

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Federal Register Notice On DCP Draws Ire From IID

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Tom Bodus

A notice published recently in the Federal Register is not sitting well with Imperial Irrigation District. That notice, submitted by the Department of Interior through the Bureau of Reclamation and published on Feb. 1, calls recommendations from the governors of the seven Colorado River Basin state for protective actions the Department of Interior should take in the absence of a completed drought contingency plan. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman set a deadline of Jan. 31 for states to complete and approve a DCP.

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A Suffering Habitat: Death Of Thousands Of Birds Highlights Sea’s Decline

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Vincent Osuna

The death of a couple thousand birds of an infectious disease at the Salton Sea earlier this month has helped underscore the impact of diminished quality and quantity of the habitats there. A large number of ruddy ducks, as well as gulls and other birds, migrating to the sea for the winter were killed between Jan. 8 and Jan. 17 by avian cholera, an infectious bacterial disease that spreads through direct contact.

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Kelley Scores 17-Month Consulting Deal With IID

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Richard Montenegro Brown

With the start of the new year came the start of a 17-month consulting service agreement between the Imperial Irrigation District board and its recently retired general manager, Kevin Kelley. The value of the contract, which is specifically for consultation between Kelley and the IID Board of Directors, not IID staff, is just under $396,000. It ends May 30, 2020, the same date Kelley’s employment contract as GM would have ended had he not retired, said IID board President Erik Ortega.

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Martinez To Take Helm At IID

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Richard Montenegro Brown

After only a little more than six months as the Imperial Irrigation District energy manager, Henry Martinez will be the next permanent general manager of the district starting Jan. 1. Martinez succeeds current GM Kevin Kelley, who will retire as of Dec. 31.

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Controversy, Concerns Surround Drought Contingency Plan

/in , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Richard Montenegro Brown

After four public workshops, the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors will be asked Monday to approve an agreement that addresses California’s part to save the drought-plagued Colorado River as well as bolster supplies of water to Lake Mead. IID General Manager said staff will recommend the approval of the intra-California drought contingency plan agreement between IID and Metropolitan Water District, but the decision ultimately lies with the board.

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