IID responds to Colorado River Reclamation draft operating guidelines

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) General Manager Henry Martinez issued a statement of a draft of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) this week.

The SEIS draft evaluates potential modifications of the 2007 Interim Shortage Guidelines that govern the operations of the Colorado River's major dams and reservoirs.

The IID has concerns about equal cuts among water users.

Their priority is water management and planning to provide the tools to address the shortage circumstances they are currently experiencing.

The shortage situation has been anticipated and addressed by the IID numerous times which they believe should be implemented at this point in time.

Most recently Martinez addressed, "There is much yet to discuss and IID must consider how future Reclamation actions resulting from any revised interim operating guidelines would impact additional conservation efforts going forward."

The IID and Imperial Valley farmers are responding to Biden's Administration Reclamations draft of the Colorado River

The SEIS analyzes three alternatives to protect the reservoir elevations and operating conditions. One of the three alternatives that could be determined is by seniority.

This means California can have the priority to receive water from the Colorado River.

IID and Imperial Valley Farmers are hoping for in their favor.

Another alternative would be Equal Cuts where all three states would take water cuts.

The last alternative is to simply do nothing and IID is against this idea.

Tina Sheilds, the Water Manager at IID responds to the IID's concerns.

“We are really concerned about alternatives to the proposes across the board reductions if this no pact doesn't improve because we have significant senior water rights and we have an existing partnership agreements with billions of dollars of investment in agricultural efficiency and urban water supply resiliency," explained Shields.

CEO Scott Emanuelli of Top Notch Seeds also expresses his concerns, "Obviously with the cuts that could potentially depending on which alternative it's implemented could have a negative impact on farming and the communities here…but also the farming industry's well as communities”