Discussion and possible directions to staff on any and all matters regarding the Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District water supply for the City of San Luis. (Jenny Torres, Economic Development Manager and Eulogio Vera, Public Works Director)
 

City staff is evaluating the possibility of entering into a contract with Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District (YMIDD) to allocate 2,000 acre-feet of water for future city use and potentially increase the allocation if needed. Currently, the City of San Luis relies on groundwater for its water supply needs and has a designation of assured water supply issued by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) for 8,908 acre-feet per year of groundwater. As there exists an extensive groundwater aquifer underlying the City of San Luis, the amount of groundwater designated as an assured water supply by ADWR can be increased. The City of San Luis also has entitlements to the Colorado River for lands located in the Yuma Valley portion of the City which has urbanized and has converted their water rights to the City. The City has 1,565 acre-feet of such water rights and can be increased by converting more water rights. The water rights are not used as it requires a surface water treatment plant to be constructed. 

Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District has 10,000 acre-feet per year of Colorado River water that is classified as municipal and industrial water. YMIDD currently has 2,000 acre-feet of water that can be allocated to the City for future use. The City would need to enter into a 10-year agreement with YMIDD for the allocation of 2,000 acre-feet of water and potentially increase the allocation to an additional 2,500 acre-feet of water. The 10- year contract would include an administrative fee of $100.00 per year. At the end of the 10-year contract, the city would pay an estimated $300.00 per acre-feet or about $600,000.00 per year for 2,000 acre-feet per year. In order for the City to use this allocated water, the city would need to construct a surface water treatment plant to include pipelines from the treatment plan. A cost that is currently being evaluated in our water study conducted by our engineer. If interested, the City would need to submit a letter of interest to be submitted to the Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District board for consideration.