Distributing Limited Resources in the Imperial Valley (2006)

CONCUR Senior Associate Bennett Brooks teamed with UC Berkeley Professor Michael Hanemann to assist the Imperial Irrigation District (District) in evaluating and ranking different methods to support the equitable distribution of water within the District. The District provides irrigation water and electric power to the lower southeastern portion of California’s desert. The Imperial Valley produces nearly $1 billion in crops annually and provides over 1,000 jobs in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. The process was part of the District’s overall planning and preparation effort should future circumstances arise where local water needs are greater than supplies. CONCUR took the lead in structuring an extensive public involvement process. Dr. Hanemann performed the technical analysis. The project focused around a series of meetings and workshops with growers, local businesses and others to identify allocation options capable of garnering widespread support. A package of broadly supported recommendations was submitted to the IID Board for its consideration in August 2006.