“The issues of air quality and public health are just as
important to Imperial County as water is to San Diego County,”
said Alene Taber, attorney for the Imperial County Air Pollution
Control District. Some farmers also fear that the stirred up
dust could harm their crops. The roots of the case California
had long drawn more than its share out of the Colorado River,
but it wasn’t until other western states began to boom that the
state’s overuse became controversial. With Las Vegas, Phoenix
and other major cities searching for scarce water, pressure grew
on California to live within its means. Immediately, sights were
set on the Imperial Irrigation District, a national breadbasket
that controls about 75 percent of the state’s 4.4 million acre-
foot allotment thanks to its historic legal rights to river
water. The vast majority of the remainder goes to Metropolitan.
After several years of bitter battles, the seven-state accord
was signed in October 2003. It charted California’s path,
gradually reducing its take