Imperial Valley press., 1938-03-03
27th InstaIIment
On Engineering
Data on District

by or in connection with which
Imperial District utilities said pow
er rights.
If and when power is delivered
by Imperial district to consumers
in the Coachella area, this item
of 8 per cent of all net power reve-
nues will in effect be a direct
expense OF service to that area.
Also, when water is delivered thru
the Coahella branch of All Ameri-
can canal, there will be some re-
duction in power consumptiin due
to substitution of gravity water
for that now pumped from wells.
Power will still be consumed for
irrigation pumping, but probably
at large booster stations at COM
paratively low rates per kiloWatt
hour.
Certain circumstances will make
it possible for the Power company
to resist the competition of 1mpe-
rial Irrigation District more effec-
lively in the Coachella area than
in the Imperial Valley. In the
Imperial Valley the power Gus
toner is at the same time an
elector in the irrigation district,
but this will only be partly true
in Coachella Valley, and is not
applicable to Palm Springs and
similar areas outside of the Coach
ella district itself. In addition to
this psychological obstacle, Impe-
rial Irrigation District will have
to meet the price differential which
now exists and which in the future
may be more pronounced. The
Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California has notified
the United States that it desires
to relinquish a large block of its
quota of Boulder Canyon power
until after 1850. Unless the city of
Los Angeles absorbs this surplus
energy, the power company will be
entitled to portion of it. Even
if this source of power be not
available, secondary power at
Boulder Dam will be available to
the company at cost which should
make it possible for the company
to deliver power in Coachella VAL
ley at a price which would be diff
ficult for the district to meet.
We are of the opinion, therefore,
that the net revenue of Imperial
Irrigation District from its power
system would not be increased ma
terially if its lines were extended
into Coachella Valley, especially
as this would require further CAPT
tai investments.
The power plant now under con-
struction on All American canal
and the desel-electric standby
plant at BraWley are too small to
permit of service outside of Tmpe-
rial Valley. Consequently, the fore
going analysis of potential revenue
from sales in the Yuma and Coach
ella areas has no bearing on the
immediate problem, but the pos
sibility of some additional revenue
from these sources should not be
disregarded in considering the fu-
ture of Ilperial Irrigation District.
The same applies to possible fu-
ture sales to the city of San Diego
for pumping water from the All
American canal over the mountains
and for other general purposes in
competition with San Diego Con-
solidated Gas and Electric company.
Both seem to be highly improbable
sources of revenue under present
conditions, but they should not be
overlooked as possible eventual
sources of revenue.
Local Market
Primary consideration m uSt
therefore be given to the extent
of the local market for power and
to the degree to which Imperial
Irrigation District may capture
that market. On Diagram K the
growth of total power sales in the
entire region is reproduced and all
sales in Imperial Valley itself are
also shown
Total sales by Southern Sierras
Power company in Imperial Valley
and wholesale to Mexico increased
from rs million XVIII. in 1925 to
almost az million XVIII. in 1881.
During the depression, the con-
sumption of power fell off but it
is again back to little above the
1881 level. Such sales should in
crease gradually to more than so
million XVIII. by 1910, and about
65 million XVIII. by 1850.
Not all of these sales are compe-
titive in the sense that there is