Imperial Irrigation District Director John Pierre Menvielle continued his support of bringing in another lawyer to work on the nation’s largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer and said it needs to happen now.
“The conflicts can be worked out, but we cannot wait any longer,” he said at Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting.
He asked that hiring Charles DuMars, an attorney from New Mexico who has worked for a group opposing the IID’s motion to appeal the invalidated Quantification Settlement Agreement, be brought back to the board at the July 26 meeting for information and in early August for action.
“The QSA issue is too big to turn on personalities and this board should look to Mr. DuMars to help improve the present invalidated QSA,” Menvielle said. “This board working with Mr. DuMars and our legal team on a new Plan B QSA should turn on the best policy judgments of what is best for the Imperial Valley.”
The QSA, a set of agreements that allow for water to go from Imperial Valley to the coastal urban region, was invalidated by a Sacramento Superior Court judge last year. The case is on appeal.
DuMars had filed an amicus brief in the appeal earlier this year for Citizens for a Reliable Water Supply, a group of residents of Imperial Valley who have said that residents will end up paying for the environmental impacts of the Salton Sea levels going down.
In response to Menvielle’s statement during the board member comment section of the meeting, Director Matt Dessert said he was “interested in a fresh look,” as things unravel with the QSA.
However, he said he needs to do that on a very steady, sturdy basis, and it needs to be done in the hands of the general manager.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
“The conflicts can be worked out, but we cannot wait any longer,” he said at Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting.
He asked that hiring Charles DuMars, an attorney from New Mexico who has worked for a group opposing the IID’s motion to appeal the invalidated Quantification Settlement Agreement, be brought back to the board at the July 26 meeting for information and in early August for action.
“The QSA issue is too big to turn on personalities and this board should look to Mr. DuMars to help improve the present invalidated QSA,” Menvielle said. “This board working with Mr. DuMars and our legal team on a new Plan B QSA should turn on the best policy judgments of what is best for the Imperial Valley.”
The QSA, a set of agreements that allow for water to go from Imperial Valley to the coastal urban region, was invalidated by a Sacramento Superior Court judge last year. The case is on appeal.
DuMars had filed an amicus brief in the appeal earlier this year for Citizens for a Reliable Water Supply, a group of residents of Imperial Valley who have said that residents will end up paying for the environmental impacts of the Salton Sea levels going down.
In response to Menvielle’s statement during the board member comment section of the meeting, Director Matt Dessert said he was “interested in a fresh look,” as things unravel with the QSA.
However, he said he needs to do that on a very steady, sturdy basis, and it needs to be done in the hands of the general manager.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
