A coming water crisis in Southern California?

Southern Californians are about to face some tough water choices. With the implementation of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (also called the "4.4 Plan"), California will within the next fifteen years be limited to its firmly allocated 4.4 million acre-feet per year of imported water from the Colorado River. This represents a reduction of 0.8 million acre-feet annually as other states claim their previously "unused" allocations. Making up for this loss will not be easy, even with continued conservation measures. Water transfers-redistributing water from Southern California's desert agricultural districts to urban coastal districts-have received the most attention, and both the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority have entered into transfer agreements with the Imperial Irrigation District. But there are major hurdles to be overcome, including environmental impacts to the Salton Sea and opposition to "fallowing" by farmers who fear adverse effects on their regional economy if they are paid to leave fields idle so that water can be transferred to needy urban districts.