Wednesday, December 8, 2010 The wet season arrived early this
year for much of California, even as Lake Mead has dropped to
record low levels. And that raises big questions for some
Californians, especially farmers in the Imperial Valley who use
the lion's share of water from the Colorado River. After an
unrelenting 11 years of drought on the river, many in that
naturally arid corner of the state are forced to confront their
future. As the unofficial ambassador for Imperial Valley
farmers, Vince Brooke tours visitors around for the local
irrigation district. Mostly, that’s busloads of water wonks from
various Western cities. And as they bounce along the bumpy
roads, their comments can be less than diplomatic. “We’re water
wasters, we’re water hogs, the ag (agriculture) sponge,” Brooke
said, quoting some of the things he’s overheard. “They think,
‘this is kind of a waste of time, and a waste of water.’” The
water they’re talking about is the Colorado River, the lifeblood
of a billion-dollar agricultural indust