Irrigation water gushes through control gates and along the Rockwood Canal toward Imperial Valley farms. The valley is not connected to the State Water Project, which delivers water from Northern California. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
A historic rule enables Imperial Valley to tap the Colorado River
Drops of sprinkler water fall on rows of onions being grown in a field in Brawley, Calif., last month. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
The sun sets over the Imperial Valley last month. Sprinklers continued to irrigate an onion field throughout the night and the following day. Farmers in the valley enjoy an abundant supply of water from the Colorado River. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Rafael Velasquez, an irrigation foreman at Cox Farms in Brawley, Calif., adjusts a sprinkler head. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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Dusk falls over an onion field in Brawley, Calif., last month. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Thomas Cox, a third-generation Imperial Valley farmer, leaps across an irrigation canal that will water a new wheat crop. His late grandfather was among those who fought to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the area’s water rights. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Imperial Valley farmer Thomas Cox holds a just-picked head of iceberg lettuce from his field last month. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Irrigated vegetable and grain crops thrive in the otherwise barren desert on the western edge of Imperial Valley. An extensive system of canals and ditches bring an abundant supply of water from the Colorado River. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
