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-Editorial
The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors approved a series of significant measures during its Nov. 18 meeting, including the development of a new substation in Thousand Palms, a multi-year security services contract, and the sale of nearly 40 acres of land to the County of Imperial.
The board approved the proposed Cook Street Substation, a project designed to meet growing electricity demand in Riverside County and the Thousand Palms area. The substation, owned by IID, will include one 28 MVA and one 50 MVA 92/13.2 kV transformer, as well as infrastructure to accommodate a future third 50 MVA transformer. The substation will provide redundancy for reliability purposes and include 20 12.47 kV distribution circuits, associated conduit, vaults, fencing, and transmission line upgrades.
The project is estimated at $39.67 million and is funded through a “Funding and Reservation of Capacity” agreement involving Riverside County, the cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert, the H.N. and Frances Berger Foundation, and private developers. Participants will dedicate funds, site improvements, and capacity allocation over a 20-year term, with IID contributing to system reliability and resiliency. The project already has a purchase order in place for the 50 MVA transformer, including a milestone payment of $930,000, with reimbursement to IID. The substation location, owned by the Berger Foundation, has been confirmed feasible following environmental and technical assessments, with developers responsible for distribution feeder extensions and related permits.
The substation is expected to serve multiple developments, including Majestic Realty’s Thousand Palms Warehouse, the Palm Creek community, the Classic Club Development in early phases, and future County and City of Palm Desert growth areas. The project will support a total usable capacity of 62,400 kVA, with an estimated cost per kVA of $635.77, including a 10% contingency for total substation costs.
The board also approved a three-year contract with Securitas Security Services USA Inc. to provide contract security for multiple IID sites, including construction and operational locations, beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The agreement, valued at $7.5 million, includes a nine percent contingency to cover unanticipated security assignments and adjustments for federal and state minimum wage increases. Securitas was selected after a competitive proposal process that evaluated responsiveness, experience, and cost-effectiveness, and the company submitted the lowest bid. Approval follows the evaluation committee and the Procurement Oversight Committee review.
In addition, the board authorized the sale of approximately 39.96 acres of IID-owned land to the County of Imperial for the expansion of the Niland Sanitary District sewer treatment facility. The land, originally acquired in 2004 as part of the Western Farm Land acquisition and previously used for limited agricultural purposes, was declared “exempt surplus land” under the California Surplus Land Act and Water Code sections governing disposal of IID-owned property.
The sale supports Phase II of the county’s expansion project and comes after a 2024 transaction in which the county purchased 55.9 acres of adjacent IID property for regulatory upgrades to the treatment facility. The county will purchase the new parcel at the appraised fair market value of $260,000 and cover all engineering, escrow, and title insurance costs. IID staff determined the property is no longer necessary for district purposes, meeting statutory requirements for exempt surplus land transfer to a local agency for public use.