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A new landmark agreement led by the San Diego County Water Authority will provide regional water solutions which include storing water in Lake Mead. Photo: National Park Service

Landmark Water Exchange Agreement Saves Water and Costs  

A new landmark water exchange agreement will increase water levels in Lake Mead, fight upward pressure on wholesale water rates, and create a new template for water management in the arid West.

The one-year agreement was announced on Friday, December 1 by the San Diego County Water Authority. The agreement is supported by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and executed in coordination with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan). Funds to facilitate the deal are from the federal 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

The new agreement highlights ways water agencies can work together under existing laws and agreements to adapt to the changing climate.

“This is a great example of what happens when we collaborate and work together. Cooperation by all three water agencies and the Bureau of Reclamation produced a creative solution that helps sustain the Colorado River,” said Water Authority Chair Mel Katz. “Today’s announcement is an innovative win-win-win solution that helps us all meet the incredible challenges we face.”

Agreement Reduces Threat of Water Shortages

The agreement builds on the groundbreaking 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA). It achieves several goals by helping California meet conservation obligations under the Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado River Basin conservation program, supporting financial viability for participating agencies, and reducing the chances for more shortages. The Colorado River system has suffered drought-induced decline for more than 20 years.

The new arrangement is expected to save the Water Authority a projected $15 million to $20 million (depending on hydrological variables), which will help offset the impact of inflation and other factors on water rates.

Water Agency Cooperation Builds on Original QSA Partnership

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

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

The Water Authority, Metropolitan, and IID have been working together for several months on ways to capitalize on current water supplies. Due to a historically wet year, the State Water Project is delivering full supplies to Metropolian, refilling reservoirs and reducing demand for imported Colorado River water. The Metropolitan Board of Directors approved the agreement in November, and the IID Board followed with its approval on December 1.

“This partnership between Metropolitan, Imperial Irrigation District, the San Diego County Water Authority, and the Bureau of Reclamation is another example of how solutions developed collaboratively can benefit everyone,” said Adán Ortega, Jr., chair of the Metropolitan Board of Directors. “Our individual efforts to reduce our reliance on the Colorado River can be magnified by our growing and mutual interdependence leading to creative and lasting solutions, where the people we all serve win, as does the environment.”

How the Water Exchange Works

QSA-Colorado River-modeling framework-USBR landmark exchange landmark agreement

In October 2003, the San Diego County Water Authority, Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, State of California, and U.S. Department of the Interior completed a historic set of agreements to conserve and transfer Colorado River water.

The Water Authority will leave 50,000 acre-feet of conserved QSA water in the Colorado River. This helps raise the level of Lake Mead, which has dropped in recent years. The volume is equivalent to the amount of water used in a year by approximately 150,000 single-family homes.

The Water Authority agreed to buy 50,000 acre-feet from Metropolitan to meet current and future demands. The Water Authority’s cost savings result from the difference between the Metropolitan rate and the rate for IID’s conserved water through the QSA. The Bureau of Reclamation will cover the cost of the Water Authority’s QSA supplies left in the river.

“This transfer is an example of how Southern California water agencies are leading with creative water management,” said Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham. “This agreement is based on decades of working together through the QSA, and it makes good on our collective commitment to the river. While this is a one-year arrangement, it will open the door for additional talks between partnering agencies in 2024.”

Reclamation Planning Conference attendees visit the Sweetwater Authority Reynolds Desalination Plant. Photo: US Bureau of Reclamation

Bureau of Reclamation Group Visits South Bay Water Agencies

A planning and training workshop for 100 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees in San Diego County included tours of Sweetwater Authority and Otay Water District facilities.

The Reclamation employees visited San Diego in September to participate in a planning training workshop. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have brought significant funding in support of Reclamation’s mission to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Planning provides critical support for Reclamation’s leadership when making investment decisions.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees share their experiences and lessons learned during their recent San Diego visit. Photo: US Bureau of Reclamation

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation employees share their experiences and lessons learned during their recent San Diego visit. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

The goal of this workshop was to provide training and resources for planners and project managers involved in studies to evaluate federal investments in water resources. In addition to promoting planning expertise across Reclamation, the Planning Training Workshop also served to share experiences and lessons learned with other planners and project managers.

Key topics at this event included the Federal planning process, technical, environmental, economic, and financial feasibility, and climate change. A key benefit of the trip was the opportunity to connect with regional partners, including tours of the Sweetwater Authority Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility in Chula Vista and the Otay Water District binational pipeline on the U.S./Mexico border.

Building skills and relationships

Reclamation Planning Conference attendees tour the U.S./Mexico border. Photo: US Bureau of Reclamation

Reclamation Planning Conference attendees tour the U.S./Mexico border. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

“We were thrilled to bring together so many Reclamation employees to discuss how water resources planning can help meet the increasingly challenging, complex, and diverse needs for water and power now and into the future,” said Karl Stock, manager of the Reclamation Law Administration Division.

“It was a pleasure to host such a talented team of water professionals from the Bureau of Reclamation at our award-winning Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility and share with them the critical role our facility plays in providing a drought-proof, sustainable water supply for Sweetwater Authority customers,” said Carlos Quintero, Sweetwater Authority general manager.

Bureau of Reclamation funding supports regional expansion project

The Richard A. Reynolds Desalination Facility is a state-of-the-art groundwater desalination facility Photo: Sweetwater Authority Best Tasting Water Award

The Richard A. Reynolds Desalination Facility is a state-of-the-art groundwater desalination facility Photo: Sweetwater Authority

The Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility uses reverse-osmosis treatment (R/O) to remove dissolved salts and microscopic particles, such as bacteria and other contaminants that could be found in alluvial groundwater. The R/O process water is treated to prevent corrosion and chlorine and ammonia are added to further assure disinfection.

The desalination facility began operating in 1999 drawing brackish groundwater from five wells. In 2017, the facility was expanded to include installation of three additional reverse osmosis trains, a new iron and manganese treatment system, the drilling of five new brackish groundwater wells, the installation of 23,000 feet of pipe, and additional system upgrades. The $42 million expansion project was made possible by significant grant funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the State of California.

The facility now has a full production potential of 10 million gallons of drinking water per day, enough for approximately 18,000 families, and provides Sweetwater Authority customers with about 30% of their annual water supply. The sustainable design of the plant also includes 2,950 ground-mounted solar PV panels as an alternative energy source. The solar array offsets the cost of treating water and reduces the facility’s overall carbon footprint.

(Editor’s note: The Sweetwater Authority and the Otay Water District are two of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the metropolitan San Diego region.)

How Much Water is Left in the Colorado River? Scientists and Officials are Scrambling to Find Out

Fresh off a phenomenal winter snowpack, water levels on the Colorado River are going up for the first time in years.

As a result, federal officials will announce this week that they are easing water restrictions in the Southwest starting next year, three sources familiar with the plan told CNN, lifting the region from a Tier 2 water shortage to a Tier 1. It’s a remarkable turnaround that will give back billions of gallons of Colorado River water to millions of people in the Southwest, primarily in Arizona and Nevada.

But they can’t breathe a sigh of relief. Officials, farmers and tribes are bracing for more difficult negotiations on how to divvy up the river when the current interstate agreement expires in 2026.

Feds Suspend Measures That Were Meant to Boost Water Levels at Drought-Stricken Lake Powell

Starting Tuesday, the US Bureau of Reclamation will suspend extra water releases from Utah’s Flaming Gorge reservoir — emergency measures that had served to help stabilize the plummeting water levels downstream at Lake Powell, the nation’s second largest reservoir.

Federal officials began releasing extra water from Flaming Gorge in 2021 to boost Lake Powell’s level and buy its surrounding communities more time to plan for the likelihood the reservoir will eventually drop too low for the Glen Canyon Dam to generate hydropower.

IID Partners With Mexican Consulate to Improve Canal Safety

The Consulate of Mexico in Calexico hosted a presentation Thursday, February 2 announcing a collaborative effort with the Imperial Irrigation District to raise awareness about the risk of the All-American Canal involving undocumented and illegal border crossings.

IID General Manager Henry Martinez opened by welcoming all in attendance and introducing dignitaries.

California’s Opening Bid Won’t Solve the Colorado River Crisis Alone

California’s offer to conserve some of its share of Colorado River water over the next few years won’t solve the looming water and power crisis in the West — but it might be enough to kickstart negotiations among the states on a deal that could.

The biggest hurdle to striking an agreement that would sharply curtail water use among the seven states that share the river has been the impasse between the two thirstiest states — California and Arizona — over which should shoulder the brunt of the cuts as climate change fuels the deepest drought in the region in 1,200 years.

Opinion: The Colorado River is in crisis. There are no painless solutions.

After 22 straight years of drought, the Colorado River is no stranger to crisis. But even by its standards, the outlook this summer is bleak. The nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are nearly three-quarters empty. Satellite images show the river’s topography has changed dramatically since 2017, and scenes on the ground are no less shocking: stranded houseboats, dead plants and cracked lake beds.

Water Wars: Arizona Counties, Towns Battle Over Colorado River Water Rights

As Arizona’s population continues to swell by record numbers, cities and towns housing the transplants are looking for ways to increase their water supply.

That search has pitted the growing Town of Queen Creek against counties along the Colorado River. Cibola, Arizona in La Paz County sits near the border with California directly on the river. The population ranges from 250 to 350 people depending on the time of year according to La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin.

First Water Cuts in US West Supply to Hammer Arizona Farmers

A harvester rumbles through the fields in the early morning light, mowing down rows of corn and chopping up ears, husks and stalks into mulch for feed at a local dairy.

The cows won’t get their salad next year, at least not from this farm. There won’t be enough water to plant the corn crop.

Climate change, drought and high demand are expected to force the first-ever mandatory cuts to a water supply that 40 million people across the American West depend on — the Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s projection next week will spare cities and tribes but hit Arizona farmers hard.

Water Shortage Announcement Expected Monday for Lake Mead

Federal authorities are expected to declare a water shortage for Lake Mead Monday, which would trim Nevada’s allocation of water in 2022.

A shortage gets triggered if the lake is expected to sit below 1,075 feet on January 1, 2022. As of Wednesday morning, the lake sits at 1,067.93 feet. The shortage has been anticipated as Lake Mead’s water level continues to drop.