Colorado River Water

CVWD’s federal contracted supply of Colorado River water is 432,850 acre-feet for 2022. About 260,000 acre-feet of this is delivered to local farms in the Coachella Valley and the balance is delivered for environmental mitigation, groundwater replenishment, large landscape irrigation, and for use by other agencies. The Canal Water Use by Type is listed in the Colorado River Water Agricultural Water Conservation Plan.

Agreements

Quantification Settlement Agreement

Agreement between CVWD and DWR for Amendment to Water Supply Contract

Usage Reports

Engineer’s Report on Water Supply and Replenishment Assessment (Fiscal Year 2019 through 2023) – This report discusses Colorado River Water as a replenishment source.

Conservation & Drought

Here are several actions CVWD has taken to conserve Colorado River water:

Recent Actions:

In 2022, CVWD saved more than 9,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) 500+ Plan by temporarily curtailing replenishment at its Thomas E. Levy Facility (Levy facility).
In 2023, CVWD continued to conserve Colorado River water under the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Conservation and Efficiency Program by curtailing replenishment at its Thomas E. Levy Facility for three years (2023–2025), saving approximately 35,000 acre-feet annually.
A second voluntary program also continues for agricultural customers to conserve up to 10 thousand acre-feet per year or up to 30 thousand acre-feet total.
In January 2025, CVWD received a $39 million Reclamation grant to expand its Thermal Water Reclamation Plant for tertiary treatment. The funding supports Phase 1 of the expansion, supplementing Colorado River water with Recycled water for agricultural irrigation, projected to conserve 33,600 AF of Colorado River water from 2029 to 2058.
CVWD’s Mid-Canal Storage Project, completed in the summer of 2024, made critical storage and operational efficiency upgrades to the 123-mile Coachella Canal. Construction included removing concrete lining in a 4.9-mile section of the canal where clay, soil, and water pressure caused extensive cracks, causing water seepage and increased repair costs. The $7.5 million project was funded jointly by CVWD, San Diego County Water Authority, and San Luis Rey River Indian Water Authority through a low-interest loan from Reclamation.

Past Historical Actions

CVWD invested heavily in its irrigation delivery system to minimize system losses through the use of pipes and metering properties served. This results in approximately 5% system losses, which is low for industry standards.
About 60% of CVWD’s service area is using drip irrigation, which allows the average water application to be less than 3.8 acre-feet per acre.
Lining of a 49-mile section of the Coachella Canal saves 132,000 acre feet per year.
Lining of the remaining 35-mile section of Coachella Canal (in conjunction with San Diego County Water Authority and San Luis Rey Band of Indians), saves 26,000 acre feet per year (which is transferred to SDCWA).
CVWD’s Board approved the Colorado River Conservation Program, which is currently awaiting other agencies’ approvals before enrolling participants.

USBR Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plans

Colorado River Water Agricultural Water Conservation Plan (2021)

Colorado River Conservation Program