IID holds off on proposal to reach out to farm groups
EL CENTRO — An effort to form a subcommittee to set a more direct line of communication between water users and the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors was tabled for a future meeting to allow a more defined proposal to be brought back for discussion.
Division 1 Director Juanita Salas previously proposed establishing such committee during the April 10 meeting with the intent to resolve underlying issues related to ongoing litigation against the district.
Abatti sued the district in 2013 over its Equitable Distribution Plan, which set a cap on the amount of water farmers could use per acre of land.
Superior County Judge L. Brooks Anderholt ruled in favor of Abatti and directed the district to repeal the plan, which it did in February. However, its appeal of Anderholt’s ruling is still pending.
On Tuesday, Salas clarified her proposal was intended to be more in hope of improving the current relationship between IID and its water users and to put a mechanism in place to resolve potential issues and avoid future litigation when it comes to water issues.
She said her proposal is based on a series of twoon-two meetings between the district and Imperial County that led to a settlement in litigation between those two parties in early 2015.
“I think those lines of communication are needed and the model used with the Board of Supervisors will help improve that relationship (with water users),” Salas said. “When we are all sitting at the table and communicating or seeking a common solution for managing water and the allocation questions, we would benefit from having these conversations.”
Board president Jim Hanks and Division 5 Director Norma Sierra Galindo said the water users already have a mechanism in place to advise the IID board through the Water Conservation Advisory Board which is made up of 15 local farmers who make recommendations to the IID board.
Though the advisory board consists of local farmers, the committee in Salas’ proposal would focus more on engaging with the agricultural groups such as Imperial County Farm Bureau, Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, and Imperial Valley H2O.
WCAB board chairman Al Kalin told the IID board his main concern was in how they could reach out to the hundreds of farmers who are not actively taking part in the discussions and often not fully aware of the decisions and conversations taking place pertaining to local water issues.
“I think that is where you want to reach out to educate. I don’t know if another committee is going to help the situation that we have right now,” Kalin said. “It would be nice to get together, but I think everybody needs to understand what’s going on.”
IID General Counsel Frank Oswalt, who noted he was under the impression the proposal was solely to discuss the Abatti case, said he was concerned with openly discussing ongoing litigation, which he feels would be ill-advised.
Although the proposal was broader than just one issue, he believes it remains a concern due to the ongoing legal issues. He said any discussion of such matters should be made as directed by the IID board.
The conversation shifted from the subcommittee proposal to a revisit on the ongoing Abatti litigation. Following the long discussion, Hanks recommended Salas to refine her proposal and bring it back to the board for the next meeting on May 8.
The board voted 3-2 in favor of bringing the matter back for reconsideration. Galindo and Division 4 Director Erik Ortega cast the two votes “nay” votes.