![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement on his new water supply plan, is encouraging that leadership is materializing, but the proof is in the pudding. This is a pivotal moment in the state’s future – one in which bold political leadership will emerge, or future generations will suffer. Brews & News: Voice of San Diego Live PodcastsĬalifornia’s water supply crisis has hit a tipping point, with impacts spreading far and wide, reaching local communities and critical industries, putting us once again in jeopardy.In the past, the farmers of Imperial Valley have fought to the Supreme Court to protect their water rights.īut Babbitt said he is hopeful that Imperial Valley will accept limits on its Colorado River draw as a trade-off for getting his approval for the lucrative agreement to sell between 130,000 and 300,000 acre-feet annually of its Colorado River entitlement to San Diego.San Diego Is Not Protected from California's Severe Water Supply Crisis | Voice of San Diego Close ![]() As the oldest and largest entitlement holder, we feel it is the secretary's duty to see that we are not disadvantaged."Ĭalifornia now gets 70 percent of its water from the Colorado River, and Babbitt has been pressuring the state to reduce its reliance on the river through conservation. "He said in his speech that he wanted to make sure no entitlement holder on the river is disadvantaged. "We are disappointed that the secretary does not seem to understand our situation as well as we would like," said Michael Clinton, general manager of the Imperial Irrigation District. They have zealously protected their water rights with guns, lawyers and political muscle. If no limitation agreement can be reached, Babbitt said, he is prepared to impose limits on the three agricultural districts.Īlthough delivered in measured tones, Babbitt's comments constitute fighting words in the Imperial Valley, where the farmers are the children and grandchildren of pioneers who turned the valley from a desert wasteland into an agricultural bounty. On the issue of Imperial Valley, Babbitt said he will not approve a historic sale of its water to San Diego unless the Imperial Irrigation District, along with two smaller neighboring agricultural water districts, limits its demand on the Colorado River. Although he offered no specifics, Babbitt toured the troubled area this afternoon. He also said the time has come for federal action on California's Salton Sea, which suffers from high salinity, toxicity and dying fish and birds. In the first transfer, Nevada would pay Arizona to store some of its water for future use. "I believe the time has come for me as the River Master to play a more active role," Babbitt told a convention of the Colorado River Water Users Association, officials from seven states that depend on the 1,400-mile-long river.īabbitt praised California's overall efforts to reduce its draw but singled out for criticism the Imperial Irrigation District, the largest user of Colorado River water, citing it for how much water it uses and how it uses it.īabbitt also announced plans for the first rules for interstate transfers of Colorado River water. In an otherwise upbeat speech today about the future of water supplies in the West, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt sternly warned Southern California's water-rich Imperial Valley to reduce its usage or face federal action. ![]()
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