Counting rats can lead to surprises
Throughout most of its 52-mile length, from the Mexicali Valley in Baja California to southern California’s Salton Sea, the Alamo River is mostly a weed-choked gulley. Fed in large part by farm runoff, the river carries with it a safe-eating advisory from the state of California because of the stew of contaminants it contains.
One small farming community, billing itself as the carrot capital of the world, recently completed a project designed to help rid the river of some of its pollutants and provide homes for threatened and endangered birds and wildlife, including the Yuma clapper rail.
The 31-acre Holtville Alamo River Wetlands Project, a partnership that includes the Imperial Irrigation District, Imperial County, the Salton Sea Authority and Desert Wildlife Unlimited, was awarded $4.6 million in federal funding with $1.6 million coming from the Bureau of Reclamation’s Salton Sea Program budget.
“This is another step towards improving conditions in and around the Salton Sea,” explained Reclamation’s Salton Sea Program Manager Jeremy Brooks. “This project will help the water quality in the Salton Sea and provide quality habitat and recreational opportunities in Holtville.”

Brooks explained that water is diverted from the river at the southeastern edge of the project. A series of earthen switchbacks slow the water, allowing sediments to settle before the water returns to the river. More than 24,000 native plants were placed along the shoreline, including cottonwoods, willows and several types of bulrush. These will help filter the water further and provide habitat for birds, amphibians and small mammals.
The project was dedicated Nov. 21 when Holtville officials hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the project site.
Reclamation’s Lower Basin Regional Director Jaci Gould said the wetlands is an excellent example of partnerships using one project to accomplish multiple goals in the effort to effectively manage water resources in the west.
“This is a win for the Salton Sea and for the people and the wildlife that call Holtville home,” Gould noted. “In today’s complicated world of water management, when a project improves water quality, provides much-needed habitat and gives a community an additional recreation source, that helps us accomplish several of our goals while minimizing costs for everyone.”
# # #
The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation’s largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits.