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Long Beach not happy with MWD’s shortage allocation plan; Long Beach officials are talking injunction if approved

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 23, 2008 at 8:06 pm

From the Long Beach Gazette:

Because of a prolonged drought and a ruling earlier this year restricting the amount of water imported from Northern California, it appears that demand may soon outstrip the amount of water MWD has available. That in turn has prompted MWD to draft a new allocation plan for what water it does get.

That plan, which appears to be designed to circumvent current state law, will be voted on at the Feb. 18 MWD board meeting. Under the current law, Long Beach has preferential rights to buy water because of past investments in the MWD water delivery system and as a founding member of the district.

Under the proposed formula, cities heavily dependent on MWD water and growing cities would receive preference, while cities such as Long Beach with a significant local water supply would both receive less water and pay more. Big winners in the plan would be Los Angeles and San Diego — both heavy users of MWD water. San Diego in particular has little local water available.

Long Beach water officials sent a letter to Metropolitan Water District, saying that if MWD approves the plan, they would be violating their own policies. Long Beach officials also contend that MWD plans to sell to agricultural users, violating a state laws that require water to be provided for domestic and municipal water first.

Long Beach Water Department General Manager Kevin Wattier said this week that his agency may be forced to sue MWD if the current plan is approved. He said Long Beach is being penalized for doing a good job conserving water and preparing for a shortage.

“We would be forced to seek an injunction,” Wattier said. “This is clearly against state law because it ignores the allocation set out in the MWD Act.”

To read the full text of this article from the Long Beach Gazette, click here.

January 23, 2008 · Filed Under Long Beach Water Department, Metropolitan Water District, Water Agency News (all)