On January 1, 2018, 40% less water began flowing into the sea as the 15-year mitigation period ended per the 2003 water transfer agreement. A court decision also forced the Imperial Irrigation District to end a program that had allowed it to equally distribute and cap the amount of water its members receive. Although it had been shrinking for years, this began to lower the water level significantly. As the shore recedes, at least of playa will be exposed by 2045, with additional dust becoming wind blown as the exposed playa dries out. A vertical drop of one foot in the water level can expose thousands of feet of horizontal playa. The state is mainly responsible, as California lawmakers pledged to fund air-quality management projects to mitigate impacts from the 2003 water transfer agreement. Over the years, local, state and federal bodies have found minimal success dealing with the dust from the exposed playa. To reduce wind-borne dust, the district has a program known as vegetation enhancement and surface roughening, which includes plowing furrows on newly exposed playa within property owned by the district.