Deal
signed to share Colorado River resources
BOULDER
CITY, Nev. (AP) -- U.S. Interior Secretary
Gale Norton signed a historic deal Thursday
to end years of bickering over the Colorado
River and fulfill a promise that California
made 70 years ago to limit its use of the
river it shares with six other states.
The
agreement signed during a ceremony at the
edge of the Hoover Dam secures the water
future for fast-growing Southern California
through the nation's biggest transfer of
water from farms to cities.
More
than 30 million acre-feet of water -- enough
to cover the state of Pennsylvania in a
foot of water -- will move from farms to
cities over the 75-year life of the deal.
''Today
we celebrate an historic event on the Colorado
River, the river that brings life to this
arid region of our nation,'' Norton said.
''With this agreement, conflict on the river
is stilled.''
''Future
generations in the Colorado River basin
-- from the headwaters high in the Rockies,
to the arid deserts, to the coastal cities
-- will enjoy the benefits of your success,''
she said.
President
George Bush said in a statement the deal
''improves the lives of citizens in the
Western United States.''
The
signing ceremony was held on the lip of
the massive, concave face of the dam, with
the brown, arid hills as a backdrop and
the blue waters of Lake Mead stretching
into the distance.
Much
of the water affected by the deal will go
to San Diego. The Imperial Valley, California's
biggest user of Colorado River water, will
sell as much as 90 billion gallons each
year to San Diego -- roughly a third of
the city's future water needs.
In
an interview Wednesday, Norton said the
''monumental'' deal is a roadmap for future
water trades in the West, which will face
increasing demand for scarce resources in
years to come.
''This
puts in place the basic building block of
future agreements to meet water needs,''
she said.
Approval
of the long-awaited deal also restores California's
privileges to draw additional Colorado water
for 15 years. The Interior Department revoked
those privileges when California missed
a Dec. 31 deadline to reach a deal. Nevada,
which was linked to the California deal,
also lost 10 percent of its supply. With
the new accord approved, Nevada will be
allowed to draw water for fast-growing Las
Vegas.
Lake
Mead, which sits behind Hoover Dam and is
the nation's largest manmade lake, sits
at a historically low level due to years
of drought.
California
is also committing itself to reduce its
over-reliance on the Colorado River so other
Western states can claim their full shares.
The state promised to live within limits
made when the Hoover Dam was built during
the Great Depression. Over the years, however,
the state has come to rely on excess water
from the river as a major source of supply
for Southern California.
''We're
following through with the promises that
were made 70 years ago,'' Norton said. ''Had
we not resolved it now it could have been
a serious obstacle to meeting the water
needs throughout the Colorado River system
for the long-term future.''
Four
Southern California water agencies, which
have spent years squabbling over the deal,
signed it last week with little fanfare.
Norton's signature was the final authorization
needed to implement the agreement.
Top
officials from the four agencies attended
the signing ceremony, along with California
Gov. Gray Davis, whose aides led a concerted
effort to resolve a series of disagreements
that nearly derailed the plan.
Norton
acknowledged that the deal did not come
easily. Imperial Valley, which rejected
the deal in December, approved it earlier
this month under enormous pressure from
the federal government. The Interior Department
had found the region's farmers were wasting
Colorado River water and threatened to take
some away.
Lloyd
Allen, president of the Imperial Irrigation
District Board, called the deal a blessing
for the valley, which will be required to
fallow some fields but largely maintain
its agriculture industry. ''We can do what
we want, which is grow crops for people
who like to eat good.''
It
was a pair of Texas oil barons who started
the state on a path that led to Thursday's
ceremony on the Hoover Dam, which was built
''to make the desert bloom,'' according
to a plaque there. In the early 1990s, Lee
and Edward Bass bought up Imperial Valley
farms and tried to sell to San Diego the
water rights that came with the land.
That
plan fell apart, but San Diego liked the
idea of a supply of water that would free
it from its near total dependence on the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California in Los Angeles. In 1997, San
Diego and Imperial struck a deal.
Interior
Secretary Bruce Babbitt entered the picture
the next year and made the water sale part
of the department's goal of curbing California's
overdependence on the Colorado.
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