These images were created with the Nikon N75 and developed by Panda Lab in Seattle. I have one more post featuring Kodak Gold 200 film.

Irrigation Information

The Colorado River is the source of the irrigation water that brings life to this desert region. The 80-mile long All-American Canal delivers water to the southeast corner of the Imperial Valley. Roughly 2.8-3.0 million acre-feet of water are used per year to grow the crops and livestock to help feed the nation. Irrigation water is delivered via 16,000 miles of canals managed by the local water company, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID). Most of the water is delivered by gravity as the valley is tilted slightly to the north. Current water price is $20.00 per acre-foot (326,000 gallons) delivered to the farmer’s headgate. (https://ceimperial.ucanr.edu/Custom_Program275/Irrigation_Information/)

Farmers next door in San Diego County pay between $799 and $1,109 per acre foot. Even the Coachella Valley Water District, just north of Imperial Valley, charges farmers about $37 per acre foot, nearly twice what the Imperial Irrigation District charges its farmers.

Because water is so cheap, Imperial Irrigation District doesn’t make enough selling it to cover expenses on water revenues alone. Instead of charging farmers the full cost of water transportation to the valley, the district reinforces its budget by selling conserved water to San Diego, among a few other regions, at higher prices. (https://voiceofsandiego.org/2022/12/05/these-imperial-valley-farmers-want-to-pay-more-for-their-colorado-river-water/)