-Editorial
The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors voted to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between IID, the County of Imperial, and the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District at their Dec. 2nd meeting. The MOU, originally executed on October 24, 2013, had focused on collaborative strategies to address environmental and water issues surrounding the Salton Sea.
The decision to end the MOU comes after a thorough review by IID, which determined that many of the initiatives outlined in the agreement had been resolved or were no longer relevant. Local conditions at the Salton Sea and on the Colorado River have changed significantly since the MOU was signed over a decade ago, and many of the concerns addressed in the document have become outdated.
The termination follows concerns raised by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, which, in a letter dated November 5, 2024, expressed disappointment over IID’s approval of the 2024-2026 System Conservation Implementation Agreement. The county expressed that they should have been more involved in the decision-making process and cited the MOU as a basis for greater collaboration between the agencies.
IID’s General Manager, Jamie Asbury, recommended the termination of the MOU, suggesting that it would likely result in cost savings and allow IID to focus on forward-looking solutions to better serve the community. Asbury emphasized its continued interest in collaborating with Imperial County on future efforts related to the Salton Sea and the surrounding areas.
“We now have a county two-on-two committee meeting that we didn’t have before, so those conversations are ongoing, and we can certainly commit to making them more regular and robust,” Asbury said. “There’s a better forum for us to engage with one another, and we need to acknowledge that the district has substantially different roles and responsibilities than the county. We want to work collaboratively, and there’s likely a better venue for those discussions.”
“I am very excited about the relationship with the county,” said Alex Cardenas, IID Board Chairman. “I believe not being sequestered to an MOU or those types of documents allows us to have a more robust relationship, either through the two-on-two or especially with the possibility of a substantial change in that board makeup.”
In other news, the IID Board of Directors approved a resolution effectively dissolving the Agricultural Water Advisory Committee (AWAC) as of December 31, 2024.
The AWAC, originally established in 1979 as the Water Conservation Advisory Board, provided input on agricultural water matters, offering recommendations on budgets, capital expenditures, operational improvements, and various initiatives. However, changes in law, governance, regulatory requirements, and the district’s organizational efficiency goals led to a reduced need for the committee in its current form.
In April 2024, following a review, IID implemented a new governance structure that delegated more operational decisions to the General Manager. This shift diminished the necessity for regular advisory input. Additionally, the formation of the General Manager’s Farm Water Round Table offered a more effective forum for agricultural stakeholders to provide input and collaborate on policy solutions.
The decision to dissolve the committee is expected to result in potential savings in staff time and materials, as the district transitions to a more streamlined process for addressing agricultural water issues. The board’s approval of the resolution marks the end of the committee’s long-standing role in IID’s advisory processes.
IID Division 3 Director Gina Dockstader highlighted ongoing efforts to engage with the farming community, acknowledging the importance of keeping farmers informed and involved.
“I do just want to publicly acknowledge that staff also attends Farm Bureau meetings and reports on carryovers, canal outages, and other updates pertinent to the farming community, such as lawsuits, post-2026 guidelines, upcoming deadlines, and EVP,” Dockstader said. “We are trying something new with the farm water roundtable to allow for more robust conversations. I want to give the farming community comfort that we’re trying a different approach.”
Dockstader noted the challenge of adapting to change but expressed openness to revisiting traditional methods if necessary. “It has taken me quite some time to see that maybe AWAC isn’t the best way to move things forward, but if we need to dissolve the resolution, that can be done at a later date,” she said.
Dockstader also thanked AWAC participants, including Mark McBroom, Larry Cox, and Peter Oster, for their contributions. “I appreciate the farming community and want to give everyone comfort in knowing we are working together,” she added.
