When the State Water Resource Control Board supported the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) in its Revised Water Rights Order 2002-13, it noted the importance of the QSA in realizing California’s Colorado River Use Plan, which was to reduce the State’s use of the river down to its 4.4 million acre-foot apportionment.

The QSA, at that time, was crucial as Arizona and Nevada saw growth and demanded their full apportionment. Prior to that, those States had not utilized their apportionment fully, which enabled California to exceed its allotment up to 5.2 million acre-feet.

As important as the QSA was at the time of its signing, its role continues to be pivotal today as California wrestles with an extended drought, one affecting the hydrology of the State Water Project in Northern and Central California, and the hydrology of the Colorado River. Lake Mead, the source of Colorado River water for Lower Basin States, including

Read More

The San Diego County Water Authority has been an advocate for the Salton Sea since the signing of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) in 2003 and supports the newest effort by Gov. Jerry Brown who in his May revised budget included the creation of a task force to review restoration at the State’s largest inland lake.per year, roughly a million gallons per day, enough to serve 400,000 households per year.

Given the current discussion regarding the future of the Sea, the Water Authority wants to make it clear that from the outset it has worked with its QSA partners to lobby for the Sea and that continues to be the case. Attention is now focused where it should be—on finding a feasible restoration option based on anticipated available water to the Sea—then working with the State to meet its restoration responsibilities as established in Legislation. Specifically, lobbying efforts are underway to

Read More