Quantification Settlement Agreement
General QSA Information
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit No. 06-16345
Filed April 06, 2007 
Imperial Valley Outreach Office
Overview
The
Quantification Settlement Agreement for the Colorado River was completed in
October 2003.This historic agreement provides California themeans to implement
water transfers and supply programs that will allow California to live within
the state's 4.4 million acre-foot basic annual apportionment of Colorado River
water. The QSA also commits the state to a restoration path for the environmentally
sensitive Salton Sea and provides
full mitigation for these water supply programs. The QSA assures California up
to 75 years of stability in its Colorado River water supplies.
 
The Parties
Statewide Benefits
1. Reduces California's Over-dependence on Colorado River — the QSA enables
California to reduce its historic over-dependence on the Colorado River to its
4.4 million acre-foot basic annual apportionment through voluntary agriculture-to-urban
water transfers and other water supply programs.
2. Salton Sea Restoration — As part of the QSA legislation enacted in
October 2003, the state will complete a programmatic environmental impact report
to identify a preferred alternative and funding plan for restoring the Salton
Sea. The Department of Water Resources received $20 million of Prop. 50
funds from the State Water Resources Control Board to perform the PEIR and related
work.
Under theQSA- related legislation, an innovative restoration-funding program
may be implemented in which the state of California purchases up to1.6 million
acre-feet of water from the Imperial Irrigation District for sale to the Metropolitan
Water District, generating up to $300 million for the restoration program.
3. Voluntary agricultural transfers provide more than 30 million acre-feet
for urban use — Over the life of the QSA programs, more than 30 million
acre-feet moves from primarily agricultural use to primarily urban use.
Major Features
The QSA provides for specific California water entitlements and water transfer
agreements. 
• Quantification of IID's Colorado River entitlement at 3.1 million
acre-feet;
• Quantification of CVWD's Colorado River entitlement at 330,000 acre-feet;
• A peace treaty between the four water agencies and the promise for
lasting peace among the seven states that share the Colorado River; and
• Water transfers:
— IID-SDCWA transfer, starting in 2003 with 10,000 acre-feet of water,
ramping up to 200,000 acre-feet
per year from IID to the Water Authority for up to 75 years;
— IID-MWD transfer of up to 110,000 acre-feet per year from IID to MWD;
— IID-CVWD transfers ramping up to 103,000 acre-feet per year from IID
to CVWD;
— Transfers between 25,000 and 111,000 acre-feet annually
from the Palo Verde Irrigation District to MWD;
— Lining of the All-American and Coachella canals, with the 77,700 acre-feet
of water produced annually going to the Water Authority for 110 years; and
— 16,000 acre-feet per year of additional canal-lining water provided
to the San Luis Rey Settlement Parties to implement a 1988 federal law that
resolved decades-old litigation.
Legislation
On Sept. 29, 2003, the Governor of California signed legislation that:
1. Commits the state to a restoration path for the Salton Sea
2. Creates the Salton Sea Restoration Advisory Committee
3. Provides limited relief from California's Fully Protected Species Act for
the QSA
The All-American and Coachella Canal Lining Projects
The All-American and Coachella canal
lining projects are critical components of the
QSA. As part of this agreement, the Water
Authority obtained rights to canal lining water
for 110 years.
By constructing concrete-lined canals alongside the existing earthen canals,
the Water Authority will receive 77,700 acre-feet of conserved water per year
for 110 years. Another 16,000 acre-feet of water per year
from the projects will be sent to several bands
of Mission Indians in northern San Diego
County, settling a water rights dispute and decades of litigation.
The state Legislature authorized $200 million to help pay for construction of
the canal lining projects and both projects also each received $9.65 million each
from Proposition 50. The All-American Canal Lining Project received an additional
$34.74 million from Proposition 84.
The canal lining projects will help the Water Authority achieve its goals of
water supply diversification and improved water supply reliability. The Water
Authority anticipates that by 2020, the canal lining transfer will constitute
9 percent of its water supply portfolio. Over the 110-year term of the agreement,
8.5 million acre-feet will flow toSan Diego County.
The Coachella Canal Lining Project was completed in December 2006, when 26,000
acre-feet per year of conserved water began flowing to project beneficiaries.
The
All-American Canal Lining Project began construction in June 2007. This project
will be built in three phases and will conserve 67,700 acre-feet per year. The
final phase is expected to
be completed in 2010.
For more information about the QSA, call the Water
Authority's public affairs department at 858-522-6700.
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