• Sierra Club files lawsuit challenging Imperial Irrigation District’s (IID) approval of a water conservation program.
• Allegation: The project violates California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
• Filed on September 12, 2024, in Imperial County Superior Court.
• Sierra Club claims inadequate environmental review, citing threats to the Salton Sea ecosystem.
• Imperial Irrigation District relied on federal, not state, environmental assessments.

October 2, 2024 — Remember the Department of the Interior’s announcement of water conservation agreements that would save about 790,000 acre-feet of water in the Lower Colorado River basin? Not everyone is happy about the Imperial Irrigation District’s significant share of the potential water savings.

On September 12, 2024, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, County of Imperial, against the Imperial Irrigation District (IID). The lawsuit challenges the district’s involvement in the 2024-2026 Temporary Colorado River System Water Conservation Program. The Sierra Club claims that IID’s reliance on the Bureau of Reclamation’s Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI/EA) to approve the project was an abuse of discretion and did not meet the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.

The project, which involves reducing water diversions from the Colorado River, may worsen the already dire conditions of the Salton Sea, exacerbating ecological damage, increasing salinity, and harming migratory birds and residents due to toxic dust from drying lake beds. The lawsuit demands that IID conduct its own environmental review, prepare a more thorough Environmental Impact Report, and set aside its project approval.

The Sierra Club, represented by attorneys Babak Naficy and Eva Ulz, argues that the federal assessment failed to account for the severe environmental and health impacts on the region, violating state law. The Sierra Club also seeks a court order to halt any project-related actions until these issues are addressed.

Read the complaint here (PDF file).

Video:

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Image:

Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge – Waterfowl at Hazard Ponds. March 2021, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.

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