The mega-deal signed eight years ago between the water-rich Imperial Valley and water-poor San Diego County was supposed to stop the fighting and litigating over the Colorado River. It hasn't.
The Imperial Irrigation District and the San Diego County Water Authority are increasingly annoyed at the California Legislature for reneging on a promise to resolve the future of the Salton Sea, that environmental invalid that straddles Riverside and Imperial counties and is dependent on agricultural runoff for its survival.
While there are numerous suggestions for the Salton Sea, most center on decreasing its salinity level, which threatens birds and fish, and on stabilizing (or reducing) its size so that property owners are not subject to periodic flooding. A water bond being prepared for the statewide ballot in 2012 would possibly include $100 million for such a project — a mere drop in a very salty bucket. Fixing the sea, most planners assert, would cost upward of $10 billion.
Unless the state follows through on its promise to deal with the Salton Sea issues, the larger water deal could be struck down in the courts and California’s plan for dividing its share of the Colorado River thrown into disarray.
In the domino-world of water, loss of the Imperial-San Diego deal could lead to pressure in Southern California to seek more water from Northern California.
It’s all a far cry from that sunny day in October 2003 when the water barons of California met at a spot overlooking the Hoover Dam to sign a 75-year pact and declare an end to years of intra-state fighting over the Colorado — much to the delight of the federal government and six other states that depend on the river for survival.
“We thought everything was settled out nicely on the Colorado River,” said Roger Patterson, assistant general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “But if somebody can see how this one is going to play out, they’ve got better vision than I do.”
The lawyers go to court Nov. 21 and all sides are looking for a Plan B.
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-- Tony Perry in San Diego
Photo: Sprinklers irrigate fields in the Imperial Valley. Credit: David McNew / Getty Images
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