The Imperial Irrigation District ( IID ) and the Metropolitan Water District ( MWD ) have reached a settlement agreement in a legal dispute that goes back two years.

The agreement between IID and MWD was signed last week after being approved by the respective boards of both agencies. It settles conflicts between Metropolitan and IID that arose in 2019 during the implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan for the Colorado River Basin. Under the settlement agreement , IID can store additional amounts of conserved water in MWD's Lake Mead account. If Lake Mead continues dropping to a level requiring California to make a contribution under the Drought Contingency Plan , IID will help make the contribution. Additionally , the settlement resolves a dispute over water that Metropolitan diverted in 2018 through shared storage of water between the agencies. The agreement also affirms that MWD will support ongoing efforts to secure state and federal funding for the Salton Sea.