In 1974 an international agreement resulted in interpreting the 1944 treaty as guaranteeing Mexico the same quality of water as that being used in the United States.
[citation needed] In 2003, the water agencies of Southern California agreed to Quantification Settlement Agreement which would move millions of gallons from the river, which was originally used by desert farmers and divert it towards the fast-growing city of San Diego.
[5] In 2003, four Southern California water agencies, that had failed to reach a key Colorado River water-sharing pact, were studying a proposal that addressed the deal's main stumbling blocks.
Government aides, including Gray Davis, proposed that the state Department of Water Resources explore a billion-dollar plan to shrink the size of the Salton Sea and restore it to health.
The millions generated would cover the cost of new wetland habitats as well as air quality and Salton Sea mitigation associated with the water transfer to San Diego.