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2025 URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN <br /> MAY 2026/FINAL DRAFT/CAROLLO <br /> project contractors along the River— nearly 10,000 acre-feet (AF) were received in recent years when <br /> unused supplies were available. <br /> ■ Imperial Irrigation District/MET Conservation Program: Under agreements executed in 1988 and <br /> 1989, this program allows MET to fund water efficiency improvements within Imperial Irrigation <br /> District's service area in return for the right to divert the water conserved by those investments. An <br /> average of 105,000 AFY of water has been conserved since the program's implementation. <br /> ■ Management of MET-Owned Land in Palo Verde: Since 2001, MET has acquired approximately <br /> 21,000 acres of irrigable farmland that are leased to growers, with incentives to grow low water-using <br /> crops and experiment with low water-consumption practices. MET continues to evaluate opportunities <br /> to formally account for verified long-term water savings associated with these lands as part of its <br /> Colorado River supply reliability strategy. <br /> ■ Palo Verde Land Management, Crop Rotation, and Water Supply Program:Authorized in 2004, <br /> this 35-year program allows MET to pay participating farmers to reduce their water use, and for MET <br /> to receive the saved water. Over the life of the program, an average of 84,500 AFY has been saved and <br /> made available to MET. <br /> ■ Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and MET Storage and Interstate Release Agreement: <br /> Entered in 2004, this agreement allows SNWA to store its unused, conserved water with MET, in <br /> exchange for MET to receive additional Colorado River water supply. MET has relied on the additional <br /> water during dry years, especially during the 2011-2016 California drought, and SNWA is not <br /> expected to call upon MET to return water until after 2026. <br /> ■ Lake Mead Storage Program: Executed in 2006 and subsequently integrated with Lower Basin <br /> Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) operations, MET may intentionally leave conserved water in Lake <br /> Mead for exclusive future use. MET has significantly expanded its use of ICS storage in recent years, <br /> including record storage creation (450,000 AF) in 2023 under DCP-related conservation programs. <br /> ■ Quagga Mussel Control Program: Developed in 2007, this program introduced surveillance activities <br /> and control measures to combat quagga mussels, an invasive species that impacts the Colorado <br /> River's water quality. <br /> ■ Bard Seasonal Fallowing Program:Authorized in 2019, and subsequently expanded, this program <br /> allows MET to pay participating farmers in Bard to reduce their water use between the late spring and <br /> summer months of selected year. Under expanded program authorizations through 2026 (Quechan <br /> Seasonal Fallowing Program), this program can provide up to approximately 12,000 AFY in certain <br /> years. <br /> ■ Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan: Signed in 2019, this agreement incentivizes storage in Lake <br /> Mead through 2026 and overall, it increases MET's flexibility to fill the CRA as needed (MET, 2025). <br /> ■ Lower Basin Conservation and System Efficiency Programs: In recent years, MET has participated <br /> in new, multi-agency conservation and system efficiency programs implemented between 2023 and <br /> 2026. These programs incentivize agricultural conservation, system efficiency improvements, urban <br /> conservation, and groundwater storage in the Lower Colorado River Basin, with the goal of reducing <br /> system demands and increasing storage in Lake Mead during critically dry conditions.This includes <br /> programs such as the Quechan Diversion Forbearance program. <br /> CITY OF SANTA ANA <br />