IID board votes 3-2 to set water rationing regulations By MEGAN BAKKER, Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 11:10 PM PST
Water rationing moves closer to reality for Imperial County as the Imperial Irrigation District approved an updated set of regulations for equitable distribution.
“Water rationing cutbacks are going to be the norm for the state of California” said IID General Manager Brian Brady, and he hopes that the equitable distribution plan will put the district “ahead of the curve.”
The board voted 3-2 Tuesday for the new regulations, which are updated from a 2007 plan approved when the district first thought it would have an overrun.
While the overrun for 2008 has shrunk drastically from initial predictions — it’s down to 12,520 acre-feet as of Tuesday — the district projects that with continued dry conditions, 2009 also carries a high risk of an overrun.
“The district should err on the side of caution where water is concerned,” Brady said.
Under the plan, municipal and industrial water users will be limited based on their past use, and in the case of cities, accounting for future growth. If these groups go over their assigned water amount, they will be penalized by $438 per acre-foot, said John Eckhardt, an executive program manager with the IID.
Farmers have a more complicated system, one that has been debated heavily. The IID’s own water conservation advisory board, which has several Valley farmers on it, passed a resolution 7-1 at an earlier meeting requesting that the Board of Directors suspend its supply-demand imbalance declaration and wait one more year on the program.
Board President John Pierre Menvielle said that the regulations were not written in stone, and that modifications could be made in the future.
“I think we have to move forward,” Menvielle said, adding, “We’ll tweak as we move over the next two-to-three years.”
Jeff Garber, an attorney for the IID, also pointed out that the regulations and the supply-demand imbalance were covered by different resolutions. Even with the updated regulations, the board still retains the right to rescind an imbalance declaration if it chooses to, Garber said.
The regulations apportion 5.25 acre-feet per acre of farmable land. Farmers will then tell the IID what they plan to farm and receive the allotted water. Any excess water will go into a water bank.
Farmers who want more than 5.25 acre-feet per acre can buy extra from the bank. Farmers who end up with excess water also sell into the bank.
Eckhardt acknowledged that the system is not perfect.
“What’s tough for all the ag community is that there’s an unknown” with the water exchange, Eckhardt said. If everything goes smoothly, there will be enough water, but he understands growers are in a place where they have to decide whether to plan for the 5.25 and assume that’s all they’ll get, or to plan on being able to get water from the bank.
Director Stella Mendoza, who voted against the regulations along with Mike Abatti, was concerned about another aspect of the regulations.
“Going forward with this apportionment or this allocation to the gate is one step closer to privatizing the water rates,” Mendoza said, adding, “In good conscience I cannot support this.”
" Go Stella! The joy ride is over for farmers in the valley. It was their waste of water that put the IID in this spot. If you are a betting person, put your money on the farmers to come out smelling like a rose. They will cry that they don't want this, but they always turn a bad into a good cause they run the system. If you want a different outcome folks, change the players. "
simplelogic wrote on Nov 19, 2008 8:46 AM:
" Farmers aside, its good to see counties like San Diego and the I.V. finally doing this. "
T-CART wrote on Nov 19, 2008 4:33 AM:
" It's going to be different for farmers next year, and there is fear of the unknown. Farmers have always faced the unknown: commodity prices, fuel costs, fertilizer costs, government interference, and now water. 2009 is going to be a fun year! ;) "
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0207 wrote on Nov 19, 2008 12:08 PM: