Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District)
Primary regional water allocation; a binding constraint on both agriculture and industrial siting.
| ID | Date | Category | Source | Confidence | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IVE-001 | 2026-02-10 | Water Rights | Regional water authority data | High | Verified | IID holds a Colorado River entitlement of approximately 3.1 million acre-feet annually under the 1934 water rights compact, currently allocated at over 97% to agricultural use with no unallocated industrial reserve. |
| From | Relation | To |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District) | Supplies water to | Imperial Valley Irrigated Farmland |
| Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District) | Constrains | Lithium Valley Extraction Site |
| Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District) | Constrains | Semiconductor Fabrication Site |
| Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District) | Constrains | Battery Materials Processing Site |
| Imperial County Agricultural Water District | Administers | Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District) |
| New River Cross-Border Flow | Affects | Colorado River Allocation (Imperial Irrigation District) |
Colorado River allocation is fully subscribed to agricultural use; any industrial siting decision must account for this before land or power availability.
Any reduction in agricultural water use to free capacity for industrial siting cascades through the Agricultural Water District's allocation process and is affected by cross-border New River flow conditions — a change in one is not isolated from the other two.
Treat water allocation, not land or power, as the primary siting constraint and evaluate all industrial development against it first.
Decide whether new industrial water demand will require reallocation, efficiency gains, or a new supply source before any site is finalized.
Risk Opened: Water Allocation Constraint
Water allocation flagged as a high-severity, binding constraint on all industrial siting decisions.
by Risk Analyst
Evidence Imported
Regional water authority data on Colorado River allocation imported.
by Research Analyst
Water Infrastructure Updated
Colorado River allocation to Imperial Irrigation District recorded as the region's binding water resource.
by Regional Strategy Lead