Water agencies announce more than 200K acre-feet of water imported into Coachella Valley
Two local water agencies announced today that more than 200,000 acre-feet of water has been imported into the Coachella Valley so far this year due to Californina’s wetter-than-usual winter, which should help prevent overdrafting of the aquifer.
The Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency issued a joint statement touting the figure, which is more water than Coachella Valley residents and businesses are expected to use in all of 2017.
“Thanks to the wet winter in California, we are expecting to import more than 300,000 acre-feet of water this year for replenishment in the west valley, which will have a positive impact on our long-term water management efforts at combating aquifer overdraft,” said CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett.
The agencies import water for two replenishment facilities in the western Coachella Valley, while CVWD also imports Colorado River water for groundwater replenishment in the eastern Coachella Valley.
More than a trillion gallons has been returned to the aquifer to date, according to the agencies, which were sued in 2013 by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, which claimed they were overdrafting the aquifer and argued that the tribe had a reserved right to the area’s groundwater. A district court sided with the tribe, though the case is ongoing and could be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall.
“Ending 2017 with a positive balance of water will put us closer to eliminating overdraft (of the aquifer) long-term, valley-wide,” said Mark Krause, Desert Water Agency general manager. “Both replenishment and conservation from our communities have helped lead us down a more sustainable path.”
