I understand that there are concerns that if the Imperial Irrigation District sells water to Southern California cities, there might be unwanted effects on the Salton Sea caused by decreased runoff. Can you help explain this?
In general, about one-third of Colorado River water that comes to the Valley ends up in the Salton Sea as drainage water (surface runoff and subsurface drainage). This drainage water is needed for two things: 1- surface runoff water is needed to ensure that we have uniform application of water in the field. You need to apply enough water to meet crop water requirements. On most soils, if you eliminate surface runoff, you will not have uniform application of water to the field, the lower part of the field will not get enough water to meet crop water requirements. Therefore you need to apply additional water to make sure you have enough water at the lower end of the field. 2- subsurface drainage is needed to maintain soil salinity. Colorado River water is salty; therefore, when water is used up by plant through transpiration and direct evaporation, the salts are left behind in the root zone. Additional water is needed to remove the extra salts in the root zone (leaching) to maintain soil
Related Questions
- I understand that there are concerns that if the Imperial Irrigation District sells water to Southern California cities, there might be unwanted effects on the Salton Sea caused by decreased runoff. Can you help explain this?
- Didn the Imperial Irrigation District and County Water Authority water transfer agreement guarantee water for the future?
- What is the role of the Imperial Irrigation District (IID)?
