(US Bureau of Rec. Commissioner Drought testimony)....It was before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

On June 14, Camille Toutons offered testimony on the severity of the Colorado River Drought and the need for short and long term drought solutions across the west. Imperial Irrigation District Board President James Hanks has issued a statement on the testimony. Hanks said the current hydrological conditions on the Colorado River, which have entered a third decade of unprecedented drought, are well known and are not going unnoticed. He said over the past two decades, Imperial Valley growers have been using less water while working to meet the nations food supply needs, conserving over 7 million acre-feet in support of the Colorado River and California water supplies. Hanks said today's conservation amounts to nearly 500,000 acre-feet annually. He said the IID plans on being part of the solution and work cooperatively with their partners, they also believe in upholding the Law of the River and that the burden should not be carried solely by California, and certainly not by IID alone. He said protection of the Salton Sea remains a pre-condition. As the only water source to the Imperial Valley, the sustainability of the Colorado River is critical. The key to sustaining the River is collaboration and unity, along with recognition that urban growth and development are unsustainable without the durable, domestic food supply grown in the basin. Hanks said the IID looks forward to working on the shared interests to ensure long term viability of the River, as well as investments in the rapidly declining Salto Sea.