With desert cities like Phoenix and Tucson bracing for their allotments of Colorado River water to be slashed dramatically, San Diego County\u2019s water agency could for the first time sell some of its water to other states by drawing on its ample supplies from the nation\u2019s largest desalination plant. <\/p>\n
The San Diego County Water Authority\u2019s board unanimously approved an initial agreement last week to consider selling some of its water to Arizona and Nevada, where cities that depend on the over-tapped Colorado River are expected to face substantial cuts<\/a> in water supplies.<\/p>\n The approach would not involve sending desalinated water to other states, but rather selling some of San Diego County\u2019s allotment of Colorado River water, which in turn would generate funds to increase output at the Carlsbad desalination plant.<\/p>\n General Manager Dan Denham said the agreement, if approved by other agencies, could clear the way for the first-ever interstate transfers of Colorado River water starting next year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a different way of managing water in the West,\u201d Denham said. \u201cI think it has to happen now, and it has to happen because of the situation on the river.\u201d<\/p>\n The Colorado River provides water for farms, cities and tribal communities across seven states and northern Mexico. Its reservoirs have declined dramatically over the last 25 years as drought compounded by climate change<\/a> has shrunk the river flow. Negotiators for the seven states, despite extensive talks, remain at odds<\/a> on the water cutbacks each should accept to prevent reservoirs from declining further.<\/p>\n The San Diego County Water Authority agreement \u2014 technically a memorandum of understanding<\/a> \u2014 would need to be approved by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the federal government and agencies in Arizona and Nevada. Then, various water agencies would need to negotiate the details. <\/p>\n The Water Authority serves as a wholesaler, delivering to 22 cities and other agencies that serve 3.3 million people. It\u2019s in a position to sell a portion of the region\u2019s water because it has invested heavily in securing additional water supplies from the Claude \u201cBud\u201d Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which since 2015 has been drawing in seawater and churning out a portion of the area\u2019s drinking water. The authority secured additional water through a 2003 agriculture-to-urban transfer deal<\/a>. These and other investments have brought San Diego County plentiful water \u2014 though as a result, the region also has some of the most expensive water<\/a> in the state.<\/p>\n The Water Authority purchases water from the Carlsbad desalination plant under a 30-year agreement<\/a>. But the plant is operating at less than full capacity, Denham said, and its output could be increased to provide a larger share of the region\u2019s water if agencies in other states bought some of the Water Authority\u2019s Colorado River water. Essentially, it\u2019s too expensive to run the plant at full capacity given the availability of other more economical supplies, but out-of-state money could make it worth the agency\u2019s while and reduce costs for ratepayers. <\/p>\n Conservation efforts also have reduced the water needs of many cities the Water Authority serves. And in the next few years, the area also will start recycling wastewater at new facilities, including San Diego\u2019s Pure Water<\/a> project as well as other recycling projects in Oceanside and eastern San Diego County.<\/p>\n If other states and agencies sign on, Denham said the Water Authority is prepared to sell up to 10,000 acre-feet of water starting next year. That\u2019s nearly 5% of the Las Vegas area\u2019s current water use<\/a>.<\/p>\n In future years, he said, that could increase to 25,000 acre-feet or more. And with additional investment in upgrades, the Carlsbad desalination plant could be expanded to transform more seawater into drinking water, thereby freeing up additional water to be traded to cities that need it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s in everyone\u2019s best interest to make this work,\u201d Denham said.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom has supported the idea, telling governors of the other six states in a recent letter<\/a> that California would welcome joint investments in water recycling and desalination.<\/p>\n Denham said Scott Cameron, the Trump administration\u2019s acting head of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, also has supported the idea.<\/p>\n The board of the Metropolitan Water District has yet to vote on the proposed agreement. <\/p>\n \u201cThese kinds of concepts are what we need to do in regards to thinking about water resources, not from political boundaries, but as a region,\u201d said Shivaji Deshmukh, the district\u2019s general manager.<\/p>\n