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The Palo Verde Valley (Spanish: Valle de Palo Verde)^[1]^[2] is located in the Lower Colorado River Valley, next to the eastern border of Southern California with Arizona, United States.^[3] It is located on the Colorado Desert within the Sonoran Desert south of the Parker Valley. Most of the valley is in Riverside County, with the southern remainder in Imperial County. La Paz County borders to the east on the Colorado River.

The region is the ancestral home of several Native American tribes: the Quechan, the Chemehuevi and Matxalycadom or Halchidhoma,^[4]^[5] some who have Indian reservations in California and Arizona along the Colorado and Gila Rivers today.

Geography[edit]

The Palo Verde Valley is part of the Sonoran Desert's Colorado Desert. The Big Maria Mountains are north of the valley, and the Colorado River forms the valley's boundaries to the east and south. Other mountains nearby are the McCoy Mountains to the west (north in Interstate 10), the Chocolate Mountains to the south, the Little Maria Mountains to the northwest, and the Dome Rock Mountains to the east.

Features[edit]

Agriculture is the valley's most important industry since indigenous farming. Crops include melons, alfalfa, cotton and vegetables.^[6] The Palo Verde Irrigation District (PVID), with its water sourced from the Palo Verde Diversion Dam, controls the canal system for these fields. Dating back to Thomas Henry Blythe's filing in 1877, the PVID has the most senior Colorado River water rights of any California agency.^[7]

The city of Blythe is in the center of the Palo Verde Valley and is the only incorporated community. Other communities include Mesa Verde, Ripley, and Palo Verde. Across the Colorado from the southern edge of the Palo Verde Valley is Cibola Valley.^[8]

Water transfers to MWD[edit]

In a 2005 agreement, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) negotiated with PVID in Blythe to fallow, or idle, farm land for 35 years. The deal will transfer water that would have been used for farming in the area of Blythe, Ripley and Palo Verde to MWD.

According to a 1990 pilot study, water diversions and fallowed farm land reduced farming employment. The MWD provided $6 million in a development fund to reimburse the community for losses caused by shifting water to urban areas.^[9]

California currently uses more than its allotted share of water from the Colorado River. The transfer agreement also seeks to address over-use of river water. It is partly designed to reduce overall diversions from the river.

In 2015, MWD purchased more than 12,000 acres (4,900 hectares) in the valley in addition to 9,000 acres (3,600 hectares) owned as of 2004, and is now PVID's biggest landowner. The Irvine Ranch Water District also purchased 3,100 acres (1,300 hectares). On August 4, 2017, PVID filed a lawsuit against MWD over the latter's most recent land purchase and six land leases, which was accused of illegally obtaining water rights.^[10]

Transportation[edit]

Interstate 10 goes through the Palo Verde Valley in an east-west direction across Blythe. US Route 95 goes through the northeastern part of the Valley. California State Route 78's northern terminus is near the valley's western edge from Interstate 10.

The Blythe Airport is west of the valley.^[11]

Rail transportation by the Arizona and California Railroad served the valley until 2007.

Public transportation, by bus is operated by Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency, which offers lifeline service to the Coachella valley

References[edit]

^ New York Times - La búsqueda de agua atraviesa fronteras
^ Imperial Valley Press - Ejecutan federales operativo en sembradío ilegal de marihuana
^ "Blythe Area Chamber of Commerce - Visitor's Guide". Retrieved 2014-11-13.
^ Underwood, Jackson (2005). "Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic Context For The North Baja Pipeline" (PDF). Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology. 18. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
^ Roth, George (1977). "The Calloway Affair of 1880: Chemehuevi Adaptation and Chemehuevi-Mohave Relations". Journal of California Anthropology. 4 (2).
^ Palo Verde Historical Museum and Society (2005). Blythe and the Palo Verde Valley. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-3072-7.
^ Perry, Tony (2015-08-15). "Palo Verde Valley farmers and MWD find fallowing deal a win-win, so far". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
^ United States. Bureau of Reclamation (1921). Preliminary Report on Problems of Imperial Valley and Vicinity, Required by Act of Congress, Approved May 18, 1920: Public No. 208, 66th Congress. Printed for Use of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, House of Representatives (41 U.S. Statutes, 600) January, 1921. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 69.
^ * Bureau of Reclamation PDF file on water situation.
^ James, Ian (2017-09-28). "A new fight over water in the California desert, with echoes of 'Chinatown'". Desert Sun. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
^ "FAA Information about Blythe Airport (BLH)".

External links[edit]

33°21′27″N 114°42′32″W / 33.35750°N 114.70889°W / 33.35750; -114.70889

[1] New York Times - La búsqueda de agua atraviesa fronteras

[2] Imperial Valley Press - Ejecutan federales operativo en sembradío ilegal de marihuana

[3] "Blythe Area Chamber of Commerce - Visitor's Guide". Retrieved 2014-11-13.

[4] Underwood, Jackson (2005). "Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic Context For The North Baja Pipeline" (PDF). Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology. 18. Retrieved 2014-11-13.

[5] Roth, George (1977). "The Calloway Affair of 1880: Chemehuevi Adaptation and Chemehuevi-Mohave Relations". Journal of California Anthropology. 4 (2).

[Society2005-6] Palo Verde Historical Museum and Society (2005). Blythe and the Palo Verde Valley. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-3072-7.

[7] Perry, Tony (2015-08-15). "Palo Verde Valley farmers and MWD find fallowing deal a win-win, so far". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-09-21.

[Reclamation1921-8] United States. Bureau of Reclamation (1921). Preliminary Report on Problems of Imperial Valley and Vicinity, Required by Act of Congress, Approved May 18, 1920: Public No. 208, 66th Congress. Printed for Use of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, House of Representatives (41 U.S. Statutes, 600) January, 1921. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 69.

[9] * Bureau of Reclamation PDF file on water situation.

[10] James, Ian (2017-09-28). "A new fight over water in the California desert, with echoes of 'Chinatown'". Desert Sun. Retrieved 2018-03-04.

[11] "FAA Information about Blythe Airport (BLH)".

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[File:Palo Verde Valley aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view looking north along the Palo Verde Valley and into the [[Parker Valley]], where the [[Colorado River]] defines the border between California (left) and Arizona (right).  A portion of the city of [[Blythe, California]], and [[Ehrenberg, Arizona]], and [[Interstate Highway 10]] are visible at the bottom.]]
-{{Coord|33.569433|N|114.606628|W|display=title}}
+The '''Palo Verde Valley''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Valle de Palo Verde'')<ref>[[New York Times]] - [https://www.nytimes.com/es/2018/10/20/espanol/opinion/cambio-climatico-escasez-agua.html La búsqueda de agua atraviesa fronteras]</ref><ref>[https://www.ivpressonline.com/adelantevalle/ejecutan-federales-operativo-en-sembrad-o-ilegal-de-marihuana/article_55dca8f8-9d34-11ea-8cde-2fc7dd3e673a.html Imperial Valley Press - Ejecutan federales operativo en sembradío ilegal de marihuana]</ref> is located in the [[Lower Colorado River Valley]], next to the eastern border of [[Southern California]] with [[Arizona]], United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blythechamberofcommerce.com/visitorsguide.htm |title=Blythe Area Chamber of Commerce - Visitor's Guide |access-date=2014-11-13 }}</ref>  It is located on the [[Colorado Desert]] within the [[Sonoran Desert]] south of the [[Parker Valley]].  Most of the valley is in [[Riverside County]], with the southern remainder in [[Imperial County, California|Imperial County]]. [[La Paz County]] borders to the east on the Colorado River.
-[[File:North from Palo Verde Valley.jpg|thumb |alt=Palo Verde Valley |Viewing north facing the Big Maria Mountains]]
+The region is the ancestral home of several [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American tribes]]: the [[Quechan people|Quechan]], the [[Chemehuevi]] and Matxalycadom or [[Halchidhoma]],<ref>{{cite journal |title=Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic Context For The North Baja Pipeline |journal=Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology |year=2005 |last=Underwood |first=Jackson |volume=18 |url=http://www.scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.18Underwood.pdf |access-date=2014-11-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Roth|first1=George|title=The Calloway Affair of 1880: Chemehuevi Adaptation and Chemehuevi-Mohave Relations|journal=Journal of California Anthropology|date=1977|volume=4|issue=2|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3vn6f5rg}}</ref> some who have [[Indian reservation]]s in California and Arizona along the Colorado and Gila Rivers today.
-The '''Palo Verde Valley''' of the [[Lower Colorado River Valley|Lower]] [[Colorado River]], also known as the '''Palo Verde Valley Basin''', is a valley located in the eastern border of [[Southern California]], next to the border with [[Arizona]], United States.<ref>http://www.blytheareachamberofcommerce.com/visitors_guide.htm</ref>  It is located on the [[Colorado Desert]] within the [[Sonoran Desert]] south of the [[Parker Valley]].  The northern two-thirds is in [[Riverside County]] with the southern portion in [[Imperial County]]. [[La Paz County]] is to the east of the Colorado River.
-==History==
-Originally inhabited by Native Americans such as the [[Quechan people]], Matxalycadom, and [[Halchidhoma]],<ref>http://www.scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.18Underwood.pdf</ref> the first Europeans that visit the area are several explorers for the [[Spanish Empire]] during its control here as part of [[New Spain]]. The most notable of these explorers is [[Francisco Garcés]], who traveled along the Colorado River northward in the early 1770s.
-An early trail, the [[Bradshaw Trail]], is the first long-distance path through the valley. The valley's first developer is Thomas Blythe, best known for starting development that eventually lead to the establishment of the city of Blythe. From 1882, Blythe had dreamed of a "Colorado River Empire" centering on the Palo Verde Valley, also comparing the Colorado River to the [[Nile River]], as applied today in Blythe. A number of settlers also established mines in the surrounding mountains since his development, some near [[Midland, California]] and [[Palo Verde, California]]. Although mining is another industry around the valley and Blythe, there are no mines within the valley. Only few of these mines remain active by this day.
 ==Geography==
-The Palo Verde Valley is part of the Sonoran Desert and approximately 25 miles south of the [[Mojave Desert]]. The [[Big Maria Mountains]] is north of the valley, forming a distinctive view from the valley. The Colorado River forms the valley's boundaries east and south. Other mountains nearby are the [[McCoy Mountains]] to the west (north in Interstate 10), the [[Chocolate Mountains]] in the south, and the [[Saw Tooth Mountains]] in the east.
+The Palo Verde Valley is part of the Sonoran Desert's [[Colorado Desert]]. The [[Big Maria Mountains]] are north of the valley, and the Colorado River forms the valley's boundaries to the east and south. Other mountains nearby are the [[McCoy Mountains]] to the west (north in Interstate 10), the [[Chocolate Mountains]] to the south, the [[Little Maria Mountains]] to the northwest, and the [[Dome Rock Mountains]] to the east.
 ==Features==
+Agriculture is the valley's most important industry since indigenous farming. Crops include [[melons]], [[alfalfa]], [[cotton]] and [[vegetables]].<ref name="Society2005">{{cite book|author=Palo Verde Historical Museum and Society|title=Blythe and the Palo Verde Valley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LFj0kwqLFWoC|year=2005|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-3072-7}}</ref> The Palo Verde Irrigation District (PVID), with its water sourced from the [[Palo Verde Diversion Dam]], controls the canal system for these fields. Dating back to [[Thomas Henry Blythe|Thomas Henry Blythe's]] filing in 1877, the PVID has the most senior Colorado River water rights of any California agency.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Perry|first1=Tony|title=Palo Verde Valley farmers and MWD find fallowing deal a win-win, so far|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-palo-verde-drought-20150816-story.html|access-date=2016-09-21|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=2015-08-15}}</ref>
-Agriculture is the valley's most important industry since indigenous farming. The Palo Verde Valley is noted for seasonal growths of [[honeydew]] and [[melons]]. Other crops are grown in the valley, such as [[alfalfa]] and [[vegetables]].
-The city of [[Blythe, CA|Blythe]] is in the center of the Palo Verde Valley and is the only incorporated community. Other communities are [[Mesa Verde, California|Mesa Verde]], [[Ripley, California|Ripley]], and [[Palo Verde, California|Palo Verde]]. Nearby communities are [[Ehrenberg, AZ|Ehrenberg]] and [[Parker, AZ|Parker]] in Arizona. [[Cibola, AZ|Cibola]] is in the southern point of the valley.
+The city of [[Blythe, California|Blythe]] is in the center of the Palo Verde Valley and is the only [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] community. Other communities include [[Mesa Verde, California|Mesa Verde]], [[Ripley, California|Ripley]], and [[Palo Verde, California|Palo Verde]]. Across the Colorado from the southern edge of the Palo Verde Valley is [[Cibola Valley]].<ref name="Reclamation1921">{{cite book|author=United States. Bureau of Reclamation|title=Preliminary Report on Problems of Imperial Valley and Vicinity, Required by Act of Congress, Approved May 18, 1920: Public No. 208, 66th Congress. Printed for Use of the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, House of Representatives (41 U.S. Statutes, 600) January, 1921|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GSAuk4SkMw8C&pg=PA69|year=1921|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=69}}</ref>
-In Blythe, the Palo Verde Hopital is the only medical facility in the valley.
-Recreation is prevalent throughout the valley, such as offroading, domestic activities, sports, hiking, and gunnery/archery ranges. The Colorado River also offers its own selection of activities involving the water.
-The [[Colorado River Indian Tribes]] reservation is located at the northeast edge near the [[Palo Verde Diversion Dam]].
 ===Water transfers to MWD===
-In a 2005 agreement, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) negotiated with Palo Verde Irrigation District (PVID) in Blythe to fallow, or idle, farm land for 35 years. The deal will transfer water that would have been used for farming in the area of Blythe, [[Ripley, California|Ripley]] and [[Palo Verde, California|Palo Verde]] to MWD.
+In a 2005 agreement, [[Metropolitan Water District of Southern California]] (MWD) negotiated with PVID in Blythe to fallow, or idle, farm land for 35 years. The deal will transfer water that would have been used for farming in the area of Blythe, [[Ripley, California|Ripley]] and [[Palo Verde, California|Palo Verde]] to MWD.
 According to a 1990 pilot study, water diversions and fallowed farm land reduced farming employment. The MWD provided $6 million in a development fund to reimburse the community for losses caused by shifting water to urban areas.<ref>* [http://www.usbr.gov/LC/region/programs/AAC/refdocs/Reclamation1994b.pdf Bureau of Reclamation PDF file on water situation.]</ref>
 California currently uses more than its allotted share of water from the [[Colorado River]]. The transfer agreement also seeks to address over-use of river water. It is partly designed to reduce overall diversions from the river.
+In 2015, MWD purchased more than {{convert|12000|acre|hectare|abbr=on}} in the valley in addition to {{convert|9000|acre|hectare|abbr=on}} owned as of 2004, and is now PVID's biggest landowner. The [[Irvine Ranch Water District]] also purchased {{convert|3100|acre|hectare|abbr=on}}. On August 4, 2017, PVID filed a lawsuit against MWD over the latter's most recent land purchase and six land leases, which was accused of illegally obtaining water rights.<ref>{{cite news|last1=James|first1=Ian|title=A new fight over water in the California desert, with echoes of 'Chinatown'|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2017/09/28/water-fight-california-desert-colorado-river-lawsuit/655630001/|access-date=2018-03-04|work=[[The Desert Sun|Desert Sun]]|date=2017-09-28}}</ref>
 ==Transportation==
-[[Interstate 10 in California|Interstate 10]] goes through the Palo Verde Valley in an east-west direction across Blythe. [[California State Route 78]] has its eastern terminus wast of Blythe. [[US Route 95]] goes through the northeastern part of the Valley. [[California State Route 78]]'s northern terminus is just in the valley's western edges from Interstate 10.
+[[Interstate 10 in California|Interstate 10]] goes through the Palo Verde Valley in an east-west direction across Blythe. [[US Route 95]] goes through the northeastern part of the Valley. [[California State Route 78]]'s northern terminus is near the valley's western edge from Interstate 10.
-The [[Blythe Airport]] is west of the valley.<ref>http://www.airport-data.com/airport/BLH/</ref> Few private airstrips are around the valley.
+The [[Blythe Airport]] is west of the valley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.airport-data.com/airport/BLH/|title = FAA Information about Blythe Airport (BLH)}}</ref>
-Rail transportation by the [[Arizona and California Railroad]] served the valley until 2007. The nearest rail service is in Parker. [[Amtrak]] service serves the valley as close as [[Needles, CA|Needles]] and [[Yuma, Arizona|Yuma]]. Commercial ships are used in the Colorado River until 1910, originally serviced from [[Port Isabel, Sonora]], on the mouth of the Colorado River, and [[Yuma, Arizona]].
+Rail transportation by the [[Arizona and California Railroad]] served the valley until 2007.
+Public transportation, by bus is operated by [[Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency]], which offers lifeline service to the Coachella valley
 ==See also==
 * [[Parker Valley]]
-* [[Imperial Valley]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 48: / Line 39: @@
 ==External links==
 * [http://www.blytheareachamberofcommerce.com Blythe Area Chamber of Commerce]
+* {{GNIS|247185}}
+{{Colorado River system}}
+{{Coord|33|21|27|N|114|42|32|W|display=title}}<!-- Coords per GNIS -->
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Blythe, California]]
@@ Line 53: / Line 51: @@
 [[Category:Valleys of California]]
 [[Category:Valleys of Riverside County, California]]
-[[Category:Landforms of Imperial County, California]]
+[[Category:Valleys of Imperial County, California]]

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