Tag Archive for: Metropolitan Water District

Officials recognizing the Quantification Settlement Agreement 20th Anniversary (L to R): Jim Barrett, Coachella Valley Water District GM, Miguel Luna, Chair of the Legal and Claims Committee with the MWD Board, State Assemblyman David Alvarez (D-80), Water Authority GM Dan Denham, Colorado River Board of California Vice Chair and Water Authority board member Jim Madaffer, Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz, Jamie Asbury, IID GM, MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil, IID GM Alex Cardenas. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

Milestone Water Agreement Marks 20th Anniversary

San Diego County and Southern California water industry leaders commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), cited as a model of collaboration, relationship building, and voluntary conservation efforts among Southern California’s water agencies.

The QSA is a historic set of water agreements enabling California to live within its Colorado River apportionment, helping provide reliable water supplies for all users. Speakers at the commemoration event highlighted how the QSA continues to meet its goals while protecting agriculture and addressing the environment.

Learn more about the significance of the historic QSA in this video presentation.

QSA Partnership Called ‘Game Changer’

San Diego County Water Authority (Water Authority) Board Chair Mel Katz described the positive change in water management ushered in by the QSA as “a set of more than two dozen agreements that represent the dawn of a new era in water management in San Diego County and the Southwest – an era of water efficiency and supply reliability despite climate extremes.” Katz recognized the conservation efforts of the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and Imperial Valley farmers.

San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz speaks at the Quantification Settlement Agreement 20th Anniversary celebration. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority water agreement

San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Mel Katz speaks at the Quantification Settlement Agreement 20th Anniversary celebration. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

IID Board President Alex Cardenas reported Imperial County agriculture has conserved 7.5 million acre-feet over the 20 years of the agreement, while still enabling agriculture to succeed. The Valley’s agricultural economy has grown from $1.8 billion in 2003 to $2.6 billion in 2023. according to the latest crop reports.

Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham said the Water Authority, IID, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), and the Coachella Valley Water District continue to work together to ensure flexibility in how the river is managed and the needs of each agency are met. “We are getting to a place where we can be creative and do things differently.”

MWD General Manager Adel Hagekhalil called the QSA a great success and a great lesson. “We all came together. It was tough, but it was important.”

California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot congratulated the QSA partners on their achievement via a video message, calling it a “game changer” that remains as important today as it was 20 years ago. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla also offered his congratulations via a video message, crediting the leadership of all partners for their efforts to sustain the QSA.

Invited guests listen to water industry leaders and elected officials recognize the 20th anniversary of the Quantification Settlement Agreement. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority water agreement

Invited guests listen to water industry leaders and elected officials recognize the 20th anniversary of the Quantification Settlement Agreement. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego Assemblyman David Alvarez told those gathered it was important to celebrate what was accomplished through the QSA. “The significance to me of the QSA is the listening that occurred,” he said, noting that the QSA brought agencies together to listen to each other as partners to create a set of mutually beneficial agreements.

Colorado River Board of California Vice Chair and Water Authority board member Jim Madaffer said the QSA provides a model of flexible river management, calling it a lesson “that we are so much better when working together than separately.”

Looking toward the challenges ahead on the river, water industry leaders noted the QSA must be a part of critical water discussions as agencies seek collaborative solutions to ensure the Colorado River can continue to be a reliable water source well into the future.

A New Groundwater Storage Project Could Help Southern California in the Next Drought

The first stage of a new groundwater storage project in the Antelope Valley is now up and running after three years of construction.

The High Desert Water Bank, which is through a partnership with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency (AVEK), has the capacity to store and withdraw enough water to serve about 210,000 Southern California homes each year.

Los Angeles Steps Into San Diego’s Water Divorce

In their efforts to break away from the San Diego County Water Authority, two small farming communities have run into a powerful and unexpected foe: The Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

At least, they ran into the man who chairs Metropolitan’s board: Adán Ortega Jr., a water policy consultant and former lobbyist elected in October to lead at Met.

California Agreed to Reduce Its Colorado River Usage, but San Diego Might Not See a Change

In a historic consensus, California, alongside the six other states that rely on the Colorado River for survival, announced an agreement last week for a plan to cut back water usage over the next three years.

The proposal drafted by the three lower basin states – California, Arizona and Nevada – would cut water use from the river by at least 3 million acre-feet by the end of 2026 through conservation to prevent the river’s reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.

Opinion: Colorado River Water Deal Gives California Another Reprieve. For Now

The Colorado River deal announced Monday is more of a temporary reprieve than a solution to plummeting water supplies. The deep water cuts for California, Arizona and Nevada will tide over thirsty residents and farmers only until the end of 2026. The real reckoning comes when operating agreements expire for Lake Mead, which feeds the Colorado’s water to Southern California and the two other lower-basin states, and Lake Powell, which regulates the flow into Lake Mead while serving Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

Opinion: California Taxpayers on the Hook to Save Two Unhealthy Western Rivers

The Klamath River begins in Oregon, draining the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, and slices through the northwestern corner of California before flowing into the Pacific Ocean. The Colorado River begins in Colorado, draining the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, before meandering southwesterly and emptying into Mexico’s Sea of Cortez – if there’s any water left after California and other states have tapped the river for irrigation and municipal supplies.

New Report Finds Proposed Delta Tunnel Could Bankrupt Metropolitan Water District

In a report sponsored by the California Water Impact Network, policy expert Max Gomberg revealed that the continued funding of the controversial Delta Tunnel – also known as the Delta Conveyance Project – could bankrupt the powerful Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Gomberg is the former climate change and water conservation manager for the State Water Resources Control Board.

How Capturing Rainfall Can Help Crisis on Colorado River

The snow melt provides most of the water that flows into the Colorado River. However, in California capturing rainfall is another option to save water to help the crisis on the Colorado River.

SoCal Homeowners Can Get More Drought-Resistant Plants Installed With This Rebate Offer

As the state continues to deal with a historic drought, Southern California homeowners are getting the chance to transform their thirsty grass and gardens.

The Metropolitan Water District offers rebates to residents ripping up their lawns and putting in plants that don’t need a lot of water to survive.

Here’s How Southern California’s Drought Emergency Could Affect You

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies. The reason? Drought conditions are limiting imported water supplies from the State Water Project in Northern California and the Colorado River.