Where does Imperial Valley get its water?
the Colorado River
The Imperial Valley depends solely on the Colorado River for surface water supply. IID imports raw water from the Colorado River and distributes it primarily for agricultural use.
How much water does Imperial Valley use?
The 80-mile long All-American Canal delivers water to the southeast corner of the Imperial Valley. Roughly 2.8-3.0 million acre-feet of water are used per year to grow the crops and livestock to help feed the nation.
How is Colorado River water delivered to the Imperial Valley?
A long-simmering water battle comes to a boil in Southern California. The All-American Canal winds through the Algodones Dunes in Imperial County, bringing water from the Colorado River to Imperial Valley farms and cities.
What crops are grown in the Imperial Valley and other regions using the river’s water?
The Imperial Valley thus uses 20 percent of the Colorado River’s total water allotment. With that water, farmers in the valley grow about 80 percent of the nation’s winter crops, including lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupe, and onions.
What is Imperial Valley known for?
The Imperial Valley economy is based on agriculture. Imperial Valley was so named by the Imperial Land Company, in hopes of attracting settlers. It is now the home of the El Centro metropolitan area and also an economic center of California’s government defined “South Border”.
Who owns the Imperial Valley?
Since 1942, water has been diverted at Imperial Dam on the Colorado River through the 82-mile All-American Canal, all of which the IID operates and maintains, although the structures are owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Water from Imperial Dam serves the Yuma, Ariz. region as well as the Imperial Valley.
Which crop uses the most water to grow in the Imperial Valley?
alfalfa
California’s drought has been shining a light on alfalfa, a thirsty plant that uses more water than any other crop in the state. Alfalfa is the top crop in the Imperial Valley, where year-round heat and a steady supply of water allows farmers to grow it in every season.
Where does the All-American Canal terminate?
the Imperial Valley
Crossing 14 miles of sand dunes on the east side of the Imperial Valley, the All-American Canal ends in the southwest corner of IID’s delivery area.
Is the All-American Canal a water diversion?
Irrigation water is diverted from the Colorado River at Imperial Dam through desilting basins into the All-American Canal on the California side and the Gila Gravity Main Canal on the Arizona side.
What food is grown in the Imperial Valley?
Imperial Valley is one of California’s top five producers of spinach, potatoes, cauliflower, sweet corn, broccoli and onions. Imperial County is home to California’s only cheese processing plant producing Swiss and Muenster cheeses.
Why does El Centro CA smell?
“The smell is caused by hydrogen sulfide (also known by its chemical formula H2S),” said Campos. Hydrogen sulfide is created when bacteria stops consuming oxygen.
Is Imperial County Safe?
Imperial County is essentially a safe area. But, it is still known to have some gang activity so always take precautions.