Calexico New River Committee

By DAVID STEFFEN
Staff Writer
 

The International Boundary and Water Commission held its Colorado River Citizens Forum in El Centro on Monday to update the forum’s board on various projects in the Valley.

The event took place in the Imperial Irrigation District’s Condit Auditorium on Broadway Street.

Anna Morales is area operations manager for the International Boundary and Water Commission’s Yuma office. She said the commission, based in El Paso, Texas, serves the region’s cross-border water interests.

“We’re like a liaison between both countries,” Morales said.

She said the commission allows various benefici­aries of Colorado River water to keep other agencies updated on new developments.

“We’re the forum to let other agencies know what’s going on with relation to projects along the border and the Colorado River,” Morales said.

Michael Vandevelde is the Bureau of Reclamation’s project manager for the Drop 2 Storage Reservoir Project.

He updated the forum about construc­tion of the project, which serves as a reser­voir for water that may otherwise flow to Mexico. He said rain­storms in the Valley lead to the underuse of water. The reservoir would help keep some of the water in the Valley. The project is located near Interstate 8 between El Centro and Yuma.

Bruce Wilcox, IID environmental manager for water transfers, also presented an update on environmental mitiga­tion projects throughout the district relating to the Quantification Settlement Agreement.

Among the projects is an update on a man­aged marsh, which would serve as a haven for wildlife displaced because of cleaning IID drains.

“I think we are on schedule with almost everything,” he said. “There have been some delays, but they have been relatively minor.”

Wilcox said he was not in the position to comment on any possi­ble outcomes of the recent QSA tentative invalidation. However, he said he hopes the sit­uation can be resolved.

“I’m very hopeful it will be worked out,” Wilcox said.

To close the forum, Miguel Figueroa, execu­tive director of the Calexico New River Committee, updated the forum about efforts to control pollution and toxins that flow in from Mexico.

>> Staff Writer David Steffen can be reached at 760-337-3452 or dsteffen@ivpressonline.com