Imperial, California - Since 2007, as a result of agreements associated with the 2007 Colorado River Interim Guidelines, the Imperial Irrigation District has had the ability to store conserved water with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 

In 2015, both agencies executed a three-year amendment that allowed IID to extend and increase its right to store water within MWD’s system through 2017.

From 2014 to 2017, IID stored nearly 180,000 acre-feet in MWD’s system. In 2018, MWD offered assurances to IID that another amendment would further increase IID’s storage rights, but MWD refused to execute that negotiated amendment. 

Now, MWD has taken the position that the 87,594 acre-feet of IID’s conserved water was diverted by MWD and belongs to them.

IID refutes this notion and maintains a strong position that the agreements do not provide for the transfer of the conserved water to MWD, which cost IID approximately $21 million to generate.