The CRS 'dynamic duo' of Pervaze A. Sheikh and Charles V. Stern has authored this great report (1 December 2020): 'Salton Sea Restoration' . This report is desperately needed and very timely.
On 29 November 1905 (or thereabouts) the Colorado River flooded and started the formation of the current incarnation of the Salton Sea; Michael McGuire recounts that even on his blog and includes this map:
Click on the graphics to enlarge or display them.
Download CRS_Report_Salton_Sea_Restoration_1Dec2020
Summary
The Salton Sea—a lake located in Southern California—is the largest inland water body in the state. The sea has few natural inlets of water and no natural outlets, and it is largely sustained by agricultural runoff from farmlands in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. In recent decades, agricultural runoff to the Salton Sea has diminished due to changes in agricultural production, evaporation, and reduced precipitation, causing the sea to shrink and increase in salinity. High salinity levels, combined with greater concentrations of nutrients and toxins, have altered the sea’s ecosystem and surrounding habitat, making it difficult for most fish and bird species to survive. The Salton Sea’s diminishing size also has exposed lake bed (i.e., playa) around the sea’s shoreline; this playa contains toxic substances that circulate in the air and impair local and regional air quality.
Over time, federal, state, and private entities have developed proposals to manage and restore parts of the Salton Sea. These efforts have common objectives, including controlling salinity, maintaining some of the sea’s habitat, and stabilizing sea water levels. The current and most prominent restoration initiative, the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP), was released by the State of California in 2017. The SSMP’s first phase is being implemented from 2018 to 2028. The initiative includes activities to convey water to the Salton Sea, reduce salinity in the sea, and restore approximately 30,000 acres of exposed playa. Phase 1 is estimated to cost $420 million. Some federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, are collaborating with the State of California to implement the SSMP.
The federal role in restoring the Salton Sea is limited to a handful of projects that address issues on lands in and around the sea that are managed by federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Defense. Unlike in areas such as Lake Tahoe, the Everglades, and the Chesapeake Bay, the federal government does not have a comprehensive program to restore the Salton Sea.
The scope and content of plans to restore the Salton Sea have generated debate among stakeholders and within Congress. Some stakeholders contend that the sea should not be restored; they argue that the area’s geological history demonstrates a pattern of water bodies naturally shrinking, disappearing, and reforming over time, and they assert that the Salton Sea is following a similar process. Other stakeholders argue that restoring the Salton Sea is worthwhile because of the sea’s ecological significance as a large wetland along the Pacific Flyway, role in providing habitat for fish and wildlife, and economic importance to the region. Some stakeholders also note that restoration might mitigate the effects of increasing playa exposure, which is linked to regional airborne pollution. Congress may consider these and other issues related to restoring the Salton Sea, including the nature and extent of federal involvement in restoration; how (or if) the federal government should collaborate with the State of California in restoration efforts under the SSMP; and what (if any) federal responsibilities exist for mitigation of airborne toxins that occur due to exposed playa on federal lands.
Cutting to the chase...
Concluding Remarks
In the future, Congress may be asked by various stakeholders to make additional commitments to Salton Sea restoration, potentially in the form of additional appropriations to one or more federal agencies to supplement or match state expenditures on the SSMP or specific directives related to federal restoration efforts. Some prior commitments, such as those in DOI’s 2016 MOU with the State of California, may not be fully realized without additional funding and authorities from Congress. However, the extent to which this is the case remains unclear.
Congress may be interested in several questions related to Salton Sea restoration and the effects of Salton Sea ecosystem degradation on environmental contaminants and human health. These questions may include the following:
What are the effects of exposed playa on air quality and, consequently, on human health in the region? What is the federal responsibility for mitigating these effects?
How do decisions related to water supply and deliveries in the Colorado River Basin affect the health of the Salton Sea ecosystem?
What is the preferred federal role in implementing the SSMP? Does the project require additional funding, authorities, or other congressional direction?
What are the cost, content, and duration of long-term restoration plans currently under way in the SSMP? How will these plans restore the Salton Sea ecosystem, mitigate the effects of exposed playa, and conserve species?
Great job, guys!
A note: On 29 November 1905 (or thereabouts) the Colorado River flooded and started the formation of the current incarnation of the Salton Sea. Michael McGuire recounts that even on his blog and includes this map:
Enjoy!
"There are lies, there are damn lies, and there are hydrologist reports." - Texas legislative hearing, 2 February 2016 (thanks to Robert Mace)
Comments