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Top users of California's allocation of Colorado River water are [1]: ~61% Imperial Irrigation District; ~20% Metropolitan Water District of Southern Californ
by niftich 7y ago
Top users of California's allocation of Colorado River water are [1]:
~61% Imperial Irrigation District;
~20% Metropolitan Water District of Southern California;
~8% Palo Verde Irrigation District;
~8% Coachella Valley Water District;
Out of these, only the Palo Verde Irrigation District is inside the Colorado River basin. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has access to the coastline, so it can mix in desalinated water directly. It currently mixes in local water sources and water delivered from Northern California [2].
The Imperial and Coachella valleys require an interbasin transfer in either case, but despite the presence of canals and pipelines from the lower Colorado River to these sites, supplying them with additional water from the coast would require significantly less infrastructure than pumping said coastal water all the way up to Lake Mead.
[1] https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/4200Rpts/DecreeRpt/2018/2018.pdf https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/4200Rpts/DecreeRpt/2018... [2] http://www.mwdh2o.com/AboutYourWater/Sources%20Of%20Supply/Pages/default.aspx http://www.mwdh2o.com/AboutYourWater/Sources%20Of%20Supply/P...