Metropolitan General Manager’s Statement Regarding Agreement on Colorado River Deliveries, Storage

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issued the following statement regarding the interim international measures announced today between the United States and Mexico in addressing Mexico’s Colorado River deliveries and storage through 2017:

“Today’s event heralds a new era of cooperation among users of the Colorado River in both the United States and Mexico. This agreement recognizes that management of the Colorado River is most effective when the two countries jointly manage the river’s available resources.”

“Today’s event heralds a new era of cooperation among users of the Colorado River in both the United States and Mexico. This agreement recognizes that management of the Colorado River is most effective when the two countries jointly manage the river’s available resources.

“Under the measures announced today, Metropolitan joins with agencies in Arizona and Nevada to forge an historic partnership with Mexico. This collaboration will provide critical funding for conservation projects in Mexico that will provide supply benefits for years. In exchange, the funding agencies will receive water that will be stored in Lake Mead to help meet future water supply needs. The measures also set the stage for the next step in the development of additional conservation projects with Mexico.”

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.