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San Diego Water Deal: A Lifeline for the Southwest?
4 Jun
Summary
- San Diego may sell Colorado River water rights to Arizona and Nevada.
- This unprecedented deal addresses critical water supply shortages in the West.
- A desalination plant boosted San Diego's water supply, enabling the trade.
San Diego County could sell rights to Colorado River water to Arizona and Nevada, a deal struck on Wednesday that aims to alleviate widespread water shortages. The San Diego County Water Authority has a surplus due to its desalination plant, allowing it to reduce its river water draw. This marks the first large-scale water trade between states dependent on the Colorado River, a system vital to 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland.
Officials emphasize the urgency, with drought and record-low snowpack threatening the river's supply. The Bureau of Reclamation, a party to the agreement, highlighted the potential for "a great leap forward for water security." Details regarding water volumes and pricing are still being negotiated, with expectations for a resolution within a year.
The Colorado basin faces its most severe outlook in decades. A second dry winter could lower reservoir levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead to historic lows by 2027, risking storage capacity and hydroelectric infrastructure. This situation drives creative solutions like desalination and water recycling, with San Diego's plant being a notable success.
Arizona, facing significant cuts, views the collaboration as a crucial first step. The deal could help San Diego recoup costs for its $1 billion desalination plant, which has contributed to rising water rates for its customers. Similar sales were recently made to two utilities in Riverside County, California.
