The city of Calexico is planning to spend more than $50 million on improvements for its outdated water and wastewater infrastructure as part of its five-year capital improvement plan. The monies will come from a combination of recently approved — and controversial — water and sewer rate changes, as well as the anticipated sale of up to $50 million in bonds.
Imperial County Superior Court Judge L. Brooks Anderholt could rule as early as today on whether to grant an injunction that would stop Imperial Irrigation District from taking part in a plan to prevent shortages on the drought-plagued Colorado River. The plaintiff, local farmer Mike Abatti, says a previous ruling by Anderholt that favored Abatti over IID and its equitable distribution plan precludes the district from entering into any new contracts that have to do with water because water rights are tied to the land and are a property right of the agricultural user. That case is currently under appeal by IID.
A group of farmers could be threatening a new lawsuit against the Imperial Irrigation District over its participation in the drought contingency plan meant to bolster water supplies at Lake Mead and help restore the Colorado River, according to IID officials. At the core of the threat, district officials said Wednesday night, is what IID General Manager Kevin Kelley termed the “elephant in the room” — who holds the water in trust for all water users: the IID or the farmers/landowners? This threat, Kelley said, addresses similar points with the lawsuit grower Mike Abatti filed against the district over its Equitable Distribution Plan. That case is now being appealed by the IID.
When information about a recent toxic algal bloom in the Salton Sea came to the attention of the Imperial County Public Health Department, it did so second-hand, through Supervisor Ryan Kelley. Kelley, whose District 4 includes the Salton Sea, had to hear about the water conditions at the sea second-hand as well, from residents in the West Shores area who got their information from the state Regional Water Quality Control Board.
When it comes to water, arguably the most important resource in the Imperial Valley, conservation is essential to the long-term success of the local farming community and to area residents. The Imperial Irrigation District, the fourth-largest irrigation district in the nation, is responsible for delivering water to about 500,000 acres of farmland. IID manages the largest gravity-fed irrigation system in the Western Hemisphere, delivering Colorado River water — via the All-American Canal — for agricultural, urban, industrial, environmental and recreational use.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
