The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
For more than two decades, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has sustained a mutually beneficial partnership with the Palo Verde Valley region, by funding agricultural water conservation, community development programs, and research on innovative farming practices and technologies. As the largest landowner in the Palo Verde Valley, Metropolitan is invested in supporting the region amid evolving challenges facing the entire Colorado River Basin.
Metropolitan imports and delivers water to 26 member agencies that serve 19 million people across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. One of the main sources of that water is the Colorado River, and Metropolitan is working to increase the river’s sustainability through conservation and collaboration, developing partnerships that benefit cities, farms and the river.
A long-standing partnership between Metropolitan and the Palo Verde Irrigation District boosts water supplies for cities across Southern California, while preserving the valley’s agricultural heritage. As part of this landmark land fallowing program, farmers are paid to refrain from irrigating a portion of their land, and the conserved water is made available to the communities Metropolitan serves.
This 35-year agreement, which began in 2005, infuses money into the Palo Verde Valley economy. Payments to farmers provide stable income that can be used on farm-related investments, purchases and debt repayment. Metropolitan also has established a $6 million Community Improvement Fund that is managed and administered by local citizens to support community improvement programs, small business development and workforce training in the Palo Verde Valley.
From 2023 through 2026, the fallowing program is being temporarily funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, with the conserved water saved in Lake Mead as part of federal efforts to help stabilize the Colorado River. To further support the community during this program, Metropolitan and PVID together launched the new Community Enhancement Collaborative, providing $8 million for projects that support the region.
Metropolitan is also exploring ways to conserve water without fallowing land. Metropolitan provides incentives to its tenants to grow crops that take less water. It is also funding and participating in various studies in the Palo Verde Valley to understand the benefits of regenerative agricultural practices on soil health. These studies, lead by California State University, Chico, are aimed at helping demonstrate innovative practices that may have water-efficiency, carbon capture and other benefits – benefits that could extend across the Lower Colorado River Basin.
Metropolitan continues to seek opportunities to build partnerships across sectors and states, recognizing that collaboration, not conflict, is critical to our collective success.