Henry Martinez of the Imperial Irrigation District: Supporting Agriculture and Solving Problems
An IID vehicle stands next to a gate on the Eucalyptus Canal.
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he Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has been providing water and energy services to inland Southern California for 110 years. A top user of Colorado River water and a top agricultural producer, it faces many of the same issues as other arid-region irrigation districts: drought, water supply, and infrastructure maintenance. However, it also must deal with the unique challenges related to the dropping water levels in the highly saline Salton Sea, including air pollution caused when wind stirs up the salty soil in the exposed lakebed, or playa. In this interview, IID General Manager Henry Martinez tells us about the district’s impressive services, the productive agriculture and large economy it supports, and how it is addressing the challenges of the Salton Sea.
Henry Martinez: I have been in the utility business for over 45 years. I have worked for large public and private utilities in both the water and energy departments. I came to IID a little
8 | IRRIGATION LEADER | September 2021
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about IID’s history and current services. Henry Martinez: The district celebrated 110 years of existence on July 25, 2021. It was formed to provide water services for Imperial County. Later, we became a public power provider, extending energy services into the eastern Coachella Valley and into the Riverside County area. We don’t provide water services in the Coachella Valley, since it has its own district, but we provide energy. We provide electricity to 155,000 electric meters and irrigate about half a million acres of crops, serving upward of 5,200 farm accounts. Irrigation Leader: What are the top crops in your area? irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF IID.
Irrigation Leader: Please tell our readers about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
over 3 years ago as an energy manager. At the time I arrived, the idea was that I would run the energy department as part of the district’s services for customers. I became the general manager of IID when my boss Kevin Kelley retired. I will have been general manager for 3 years at the end of 2021.
