Established in 1911, the Imperial Irrigation District became the largest gravity fed irrigation district in the western hemisphere. It later assumed control of several water companies and was instrumental in getting the Hoover Dam and the All American Canal built. It commenced power service in 1936 and now supplies power to the Imperial and Eastern Coachella Valleys. It aggressively guards the Imperial Valley's long established water rights to insure that the Imperial Valley remains one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.