Imperial Valley water chief, writer and pianist Kevin Kelley dies
Kevin Kelley, the elegant, whip-smart and fierce former general manager of the Imperial Irrigation District, who fought to preserve the Salton Sea and his rural county’s water rights, died Tuesday at 61. He passed away at home, said his brother, Ryan Kelley, an Imperial County Supervisor. The cause of death is still being determined. As top executive from 2011 to January 2019 of the powerful but often overlooked IID, Kelley regularly took on state, federal and urban water officials to remind them of the valley’s importance.