Officials announced two key water deals this week, one that ended a long legal battle between authorities in Los Angeles and San Diego as well as an a water-rights agreement between a Riverside County tribe and local agencies.
The LA-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the San Diego County Water Authority settled 15-year legal battle over Colorado River water.
The legal dispute centered around fluctuating prices Metropolitan charged to the water authority to deliver water, which the authority bought from the Imperial Irrigation District in 2003. The authority also obtains water from the All-American and Coachella canals.
As part of the settlement, the water authority will pay a fixed price of $671 per acre-foot starting next year to Metropolitan for water transfers with annual adjustments for inflation.
The water authority will also have the ability to sell conserved water to Metropolitan or offer water to other agencies affiliated with the MWD.
Officials from the water authority and MWD hailed the end of the protracted legal battle and said the settlement also “includes provisions to reduce the potential for future litigation, improve certainty in budgeting and increase flexibility in efficiently managing water supplies,” according to a joint statement from both agencies.
Nick Serrano, water authority board chair, said in a statement Monday, “Ratepayers and water users across Southern California are the winners in this settlement. It provides a new revenue opportunity for San Diego, a new water supply opportunity for other communities, and greater budget certainty for the entire region.”
MWD Board Chair Adán Ortega Jr. said in a statement, “For far too long, this legal battle sat at the center of Metropolitan’s relationship with the Water Authority. That era of conflict has finally come to an end and we can forge ahead, building a relationship based instead on cooperation and shared goals that will benefit the entire region.”
Also according to the settlement, the water authority will pay Metropolitan a fixed payment for 227,000 acre-feet of exchange water each year, rather than making payments based on the volume of water exchanged.
“If more than 227,000 acre-feet of water is exchanged, then the Water Authority will pay the unit price based on volumetric deliveries,” officials said.
The MWD and the water authority will meet every five years to discuss ongoing implementation of the water exchange agreement.
Water rights agreement
In another lengthy legal battle, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency have agreed on water rights and water management throughout the Coachella Valley, the tribe announced Wednesday.
Agua Caliente sued the water districts to acquire ownership of the groundwater stored under the reservation.
All parties involved have agreed to give sovereign authority to Cahuilla Indians over its groundwater, and will jointly cooperate to provide water sustainability for residents living on the reservation through the existing infrastructure, according to a joint statement.
“The agreement affirms the Tribe’s right to manage, regulate and govern the use of the Tribal Water Right in the Coachella Valley, and at the same time will provide a real benefit to the entire Coachella Valley,” Tribal Chairman Reid Milanovich said in a statement. “We all rolled up our sleeves and worked together to come to an agreement that recognizes the Tribe’s water rights and sovereignty, considers the unique jurisdictional issues of our checkerboard reservation, and respects our traditional and cultural uses for our tribal community.”
Agua Caliente will next seek legislation from Congress to OK the settlement and allocate up to $500 million to ensure sustainability of the Indio Subbasin, upgrade infrastructure and support groundwater replenishment, officials said.
“Desert Water Agency customers can be certain this agreement will not affect our ability to provide safe and reliable water,” DWA Board President Paul Ortega said in a statement. “They will continue to receive dedicated customer service and high-quality water. This settlement respects the Tribe’s sovereign rights to help manage and regulate water within a portion of our vast aquifer.”
A copy of the agreement is at aguacaliente.org/watersettlement.
