With more solar energy projects coming up for votes at the county-level, some have started to question what will happen with the water that would have gone to the ag-to-solar conversion land.
The Imperial Irrigation District may have some of that answer as a proposal to fallow that land goes up for discussion today.
The IID Board of Directors is set to hear about a proposed fallowing program concept that would target temporary land-use conversion of agricultural land, most of which has been slated for solar development.
Draft policies and contracts are being developed, according to the presentation scheduled to go before the board today. A final vote on a program will come at a future meeting.
The district is also set to discuss whether to transition to an in-house 24-hour energy trading operation. The district’s current operation center is manned from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, while a contracted company, Coral Energy, handles the rest of the time.
Coral has been under contract since 2004 to provide this service, but a report done last year shows that IID could save about $9 million annually if it transitions to in-house work. The district will have to spend some money internally though, adding $281,000 in annual salary and security expenses and $45,000 in one-time costs for training and lights and cameras at the facility.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
If you go
What Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors meeting
When 1 p.m. today
Where W. R. Condit Auditorium, 1285 Broadway, El Centro
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