BEFORE
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF
THE COUNTY OF IMPERIAL
RESOLUTION
OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS
OF
THE COUNTY OF IMPERIAL ON THE WATER TRANSFER BETWEEN IID
AND SDCWA
WHEREAS, the
Imperial County Board of Supervisors, (hereinafter
Board), is the one governing board elected by all County
voters as the general unit of local government, thereby
serving all County residents; and,
WHEREAS, the board is charged by the California
Constitution Article XI Section 7 to protect the health,
safety, environment, economic diversity, and the quality
of life of its residents; and,
WHEREAS, the Board has actively been involved in the
review of the proposed water transfer, including the
participation at the hearings before the State Water
Resources Control Board; and,
WHEREAS, the Board of has reviewed and commented on the
Water Transfer Environmental Impact Report (EIR) /
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and on the
Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) EIR; and,
WHEREAS, the board has and continues to have, grave
concerns over the long-term impacts of this proposed
transfer, and has expressed its concerns to the IID,
SDCWA, USBR, and the State Water Resources Control Board
of the State of California; and,
WHEREAS, the Board, originally and steadfastly opposed
any fallowing of farm land to offset the water needed to
the transfer; and,
WHEREAS, the Board, holds the conviction that the
transfer could be and should be accommodated only through
system and on-farm conservation; and,
WHEREAS, the Board, recognizes that a "temporary"
transfer of water to SDCWA could and should be supported,
in order to assist urban California water districts in
living within California's Colorado River allocation,
provided that any costs, and all negative environmental
and socio-economic impacts, are adequately mitigated;
and,
WHEREAS, the draft decision dated September 26, 2002 by
the State Water Resources Control Board essentially
failed to look beyond a 15-year period and fails to allow
a termination of the transfer obligations by IID, should
whatever transfer that is approved, prove environmentally
or economically unsound at the conclusion of the 15-year
period; and,
WHEREAS, the IID, SDCWA, and State Water Resources
Control Board erroneously assume that the transfer will
not induce growth in the San Diego region, and fail to
recognize the obligation of San Diego to mitigate growth
that relied and continues to rely on surplus Colorado
River water no longer available, by developing a
permanent alternative sustainable source of water, such
as desalination; and,
WHEREAS, the Board has expressed grave concern over the
impacts of the transfer on the Salton Sea, and on air
quality in particular, including other environmental
problems, and all parties must recognize that the
transfer cannot add to them; and,
WHEREAS, the Board should have been more directly
included and involved in the transfer process; and,
WHEREAS, the Board expresses grave concern over the
divisiveness this project has created between groups of
people in the Valley, all of which was and is unnecessary
if the transferring and QSA parties reach a fair and
equitable agreement:
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors
that:
1) The Board cautiously supports the non-permanent
transfer of water between IID, (which holds the water
rights in trust), and the SDCWA, proved it does not
jeopardize IID's Colorado River allocation as decreed by
the Supreme Court, nor alter the IID's secured rights to
the Colorado River water;
2) The Board supports the transfer subject to SDCWA's
development of a capacity to produce at least 50,000 acre
feet of desalinated water from its own facilities within
the next 15 years;
3) The Board must be involved and have a definite role in
the development of any "fallowing" plan that will or may
need to be designed in order for a "fallowing" program to
be implemented; and as mandated by SB 482 as enacted, the
Board's approval of the mitigation plan for environmental
and economic impacts will be necessary;
4) The Board through its groundwater ordinance shall
exercise its authority to regulate extractions of
groundwater if any, from any aquifer within Imperial
County, including those in the East Mesa.
5) The transfer beneficiaries shall fund ICAPCD
monitoring and assessment of air quality impacts as the
transfer proceeds, fund the development of air quality
mitigation specifications, and fund the implementation of
those measures adopted by the ICAPCD.
6) The Board, expresses its preference for mitigation
measures to be developed and implemented in a manner set
forth in IID's proposed amendment to the July
3rd version of SB 482 (see attached);
7) The Board by supporting the transfer under the
conditions stated supports the IID in reaching a fair and
equitable agreement with SDCWA, however, with the
understanding that if significant "socio-economic"
impacts or environmental impacts occur in the Valley
during the next 15 years, the IID have the authority to
voluntarily withdraw without penalty from its obligations
under the transfer agreement;
8) The Board by supporting the transfer under the
conditions stated in no way abrogates its legal rights to
protect the interests of the County of Imperial, should
the final agreement not be legally, environmentally, or
socio-economically acceptable to the County.
PASSED AND ADOPTED, by the Board of Supervisors, County
of Imperial, State of California, this 8th day
of October, 2002, by the following roll call vote
_________________________________
_____________________________
Hank Kuiper,
Chairman Gary
Wyatt, Supervisor, District 4
Imperial
County Board of
Supervisors
Imperial County Board of Supervisors
_________________________________
Wally Leimgruber, Supervisor
Tony
Tirado, Supervisor District
1 District
5
Imperial
County Board of
Supervisors
Imperial County Board of Supervisors
__________________________________
Joe Maruca,
Supervisor District 3
Imperial County
Board of Supervisors
_______________________________
ALBERT ESPINOZA
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors,
County of Imperial
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