In 2003, the Imperial Irrigation District signed the largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer agreement in US history. Much of its water allocation would go to communities along the California coast at a profit. With a 45-year term, the Quantification Settlement Agreement was a means for the San Diego County Water Authority and other districts to obtain additional water for the growing communities they serve. Local agriculture became more efficient at using water which resulted in the shoreline retreating as less run off flowed into the lake. Farmers installed sprinklers to replace flood irrigation and used soil measurement devices that tell them when to water. As it shrank, it became saltier than ocean water. The California State Legislature, by legislation enacted in 2003 and 2004, directed the secretary of the California Resources Agency to prepare a restoration plan for the Salton Sea ecosystem, and an Environmental Impact Report. The Salton Sea Authority had a consultant study the alternatives and in 2004 issued their preferred alternative. After receiving comments from other agencies, they approved a new report in 2006. They hoped the reports would influence the state as it prepared the proposal mandated by the legislature.