Yumans on International Boundary and Water Commission board

Yuma-area residents were among those appointed recently to an advisory board of the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission.

In all, Jayne Harkins, commissioner of the U.S. Section, named nine people to two-year terms on the IBWC’s Colorado River Citizens Forum.

The commission enforces boundary and water treaties between the United States and Mexico and settles bilateral disputes arising from those treaties. The Colorado River Citizens Forum was created to promote communication between the commission and the public, environmentalists, irrigation districts, municipalities and other organizations.

Among those named to the commision was Lowell Perry, director of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.

“This board will allow me to have an important voice to share our concerns about conservation and preservation that has been omitted in the past – mainly about how the water flows back and forth across the border,” Perry said. “This is a chance to have at least a small voice in policy and attention being paid to the impact on conservation driven users such as ourselves and our agricultural community.”

Also named to the forum were Curtis L. Cloud, retired from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Elston K. Grubaugh, general manager of the Wellton-Mohawi Irrigation and Drainage District; San Luis City Councilwoman Africa Luna-Carrasco, and Meghan Scott, Yuma County Agriculture Water Coalition. Anna Morales, the IBWC’s Yuma Area Operations manager, serves as the com- mission’s representative on the forum.

Named from Imperial County were Trina Hamby, a resident of Brawley, Calif.; P. Brian McNeece, representing the Imperial Valley Coalition for Fair Sharing of Water; Patrick O’Dowd, of the Salton Sea Authority, and Tina Shields, water department manager of the Imperial Irrigation Department.