The Borrego Water District’s

Integrated Water Resources Management Plan

October 2008

 

In October 2008, the Borrego Water District released the 4^th draft of an Integrated Water Resources Management Plan (IWRMP) to the public for review and comment.  There was never any public notice that such a plan was being developed until the 4^th draft was nearly complete.

 

Billed as “An updated Water Resources Management Plan” it is being directed by a consultant, Bill Mills, who has worked for a number of years as a groundwater consultant to and lobbyist for AAWARE, the local farmer’s mutual benefit corporation.  It has essentially been developed behind closed doors with no public participation and by a lead author who has a notorious conflict of interest.  It therefore bears extremely close scrutiny.

 

When subjected to such scrutiny the IWRMP, not surprisingly, proves to be heavily biased in favor the local farmers and is badly flawed in other respects as well. Unfortunately, it is also quite long – 74 pages of text, 18 tables, 13 maps and charts, plus appendices – so it is highly unlikely that more than a very few Borregans will take the time or expend the effort to read and try to understand this fairly technical document.  That is probably not accidental; but it is extremely unfortunate.

 

The most egregious faults and falsehoods in the document are therefore summarized in a Critique of the IWRMP for your elucidation and entertainment.