CA WATER COMMISSION: Restoring the Salton Sea: Enhancing habitats and safeguarding community health

California state agencies are working on projects to improve air quality and create safe habitats for birds at the Salton Sea, a key stop along the Pacific Flyway. Over the years, less water has been flowing into the sea, causing it to shrink and become saltier. As the water recedes, exposed lakebed releases dust, which poses health concerns for nearby communities.

The Salton Sea Management Program includes the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, working under the California Natural Resources Agency to advance projects at the Salton Sea to improve air quality and provide critical environmental habitat for birds along the Pacific Flyway.  State legislation, State Water Resources Control Board orders, and formal agreements between federal, Tribal, and local entities guide the SSMP’s work.  

The November meeting of the California Water Commission included an update on the Salton Sea Management Program.  Evon Willhoff, Acting Assistant Deputy Director for Salton Sea Restoration, and Melinda Dorrin, Acting Salton Sea Restoration Office Lead Manager, both with DWR, provided an overview of the Program’s restoration actions, including the recent implementation of large-scale aquatic habitat restoration and vegetation enhancement on exposed Salton Sea lakebed.

This briefing is on the California Water Commission’s agenda because the Commission’s statutory authority intersects with the Salton Sea management program in two ways. First, the Commission is tasked with adopting resolutions of necessity in instances where DWR exercises its eminent domain authority, and this authority also applies to the Salton Sea.  Second, under Fish and Game Code Section 2942, the Commission has a limited responsibility related to design-build contracts used at the Salton Sea. The Commission must be notified of DWR’s intent to use a design-build contract and the contractor selection process before advertising the project.

Background

The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake by surface area, stretches across Riverside County in the north and Imperial County in the south. Lying below sea level, this unique terminal lake has no outlet, causing its waters to become highly saline—it is nearly twice as salty as the ocean.

The Salton Sea is bordered by agricultural regions, with the Eastern Coachella Valley lying to the north and the Imperial Valley to the south. Its primary water source comes from the Colorado River, so management decisions along the Colorado River have an impact on the Salton Sea as the Sea’s lake levels are predominantly maintained by agricultural runoff.

The Salton Sea is a critical stop on the Pacific Flyway; hundreds of species of birds come to the Sea to rest, feed, and nest. It is also home to the endangered desert pupfish, and other threatened and endangered species.

The Salton Sea is located in the lower basin of ancient Lake Cahuilla, a prehistoric lake that would come and go over periods of thousands of years.  In modern history, the Salton Sea was formed by an irrigation canal breach in the early 1900s that resulted in an uncontrolled flow of Colorado River water into the Salton Sea Basin. With no natural inflow, the Sea has been sustained by runoff from irrigated farmland.

The primary driver of challenges at the Salton Sea is the result of the declining lake levels associated with water management decisions along the Colorado River, contributing to reduced runoff towards the Sea.

Specifically, in 2003, the Quantification Settlement Agreement resulted in a large-scale ag-to-urban water transfer facilitated by conservation measures implemented in the Imperial Valley by the Imperial Irrigation District.  Knowing that these conservation measures would contribute to reduced runoff towards the Salton Sea, accompanying this agreement was a package of bills at the state level that was passed that included the state assuming responsibility for restoration projects at the Salton Sea associated with the QSA.

“In recent years, due to prolonged drought along the Colorado River, there has been another set of conservation measures adopted by Imperial Irrigation District,” said Evon Willhoff.  “The noteworthy aspect of these new conservation measures is that they will be implemented immediately in the course of the next few years and will accelerate the recession of the Salton Sea.”

The shrinking Salton Sea presents many challenges:

• Dust from the exposed lakebed may affect air quality and public health for surrounding communities, which already suffer from high rates of respiratory ailments, especially children with asthma. 
• Increased salinity in the waters of the Sea will make it unable to sustain many aquatic life forms. 
• Loss of habitat, including for several bird species on the Pacific Flyway.

Implementing the Ten-Year Plan

Currently, the Program is working under the Phase One Ten Year Plan, which aims to improve conditions around the Sea by constructing 29,800 acres of projects to reduce wind-blown dust from exposed lakebed and create habitat for fish and birds.  The acreage target is identified as part of the State Water Resources Control Board water board order, and a revised order identifies annual acreage milestones that the state needs to meet to implement habitat and dust suppression projects.

“The state is behind in meeting our acre milestones,” said Ms. Willhoff.  “However, in the last five years we’ve generated a lot of progress, and we feel really proud of the work that we’re doing.  We’re hoping to maintain that in the financial climate that we have right now.”

She noted that they have been working with the federal government on finalizing a NEPA environmental assessment that identifies approximately 60,000 acres of opportunity areas for projects, which will help meet the 29,800-acre target by having the opportunity areas identified in the environmental document.

Land access remains an important driver of project timelines.  The lack of state-owned lands in the region is a challenge; ownership is a checkerboard of federal, Imperial Irrigation District, Tribal, and private landowners, so collaboration with landowners is critical to land access. 

The Salton Sea Commitments Agreement includes establishing programmatic land access agreements with the Department of Interior, Imperial Irrigation District, and Coachella Valley Water District to implement projects in a timely manner at the Sea.

Habitat and dust suppression projects

The slide shows projects in progress around the perimeter of the Sea.

The Species Conservation Habitat Project is the first significant habitat project of the state’s 10-Year Plan.  The project protects air quality by covering the exposed lakebed with water, providing critical habitat for birds and fish at the Salton Sea.  The project has increased from 640 to over 5000 acres and features a visitor’s observation area and a visitor center, which is still under construction. 

The project includes a weir in the New River, which is used to mix with water from the Sea to reach the target salinity of 20 to 40 parts per 1000; that water is then conveyed to the project ponds. 

“By mixing the water, we’re able to provide water that fish can survive in and provide habitat for the fish-eating birds,” said Melinda Dorrin.

The map shows the East Pond One expansion project, one of the recently approved Colorado River projects.  The state is working to expand the Center and West ponds, which will add about 4600 acres to the project that when completed, will bring the project close to 10,000 acres.

“The nice thing about expanding to this project is we’re using all the existing infrastructure, so we don’t need new pumps, we don’t need additional weirs, and so we’re able to really expand out and use all of the facilities and infrastructure that we’ve already put in place,” said Ms. Dorrin.

 

Vegetation enhancement projects

Vegetation enhancement is done in two phases:  First, bales are put out on the landscape to suppress dust and slow the wind speed down.  Then, the area is either seeded or planted, and the plants are fostered with wind protection, water, and fertilizer.  Once vegetation is established, it suppresses the dust while providing additional habitat benefits.  The two largest project sites are the Clubhouse and Tule Wash.

 

To monitor the success of the projects, air quality monitoring stages have been installed in an array so they can monitor wind speeds and measure the reduction throughout the project.

She noted that the picture with the bales shows how much sand does move onto the site. “So those bales are capturing all that sand, which could otherwise become airborne.”

Importance of partnerships

“Our work would not be possible without partnerships,” said Ms. Willhoff.  “The state is not a primary land owner around the Sea. We don’t have jurisdiction over water. All of our projects need to go through permitting.  We’re also collaborating with tribes in the region, so everything we do requires a high level of coordination. It also includes working with nonprofit organizations, community-based groups, and representatives of communities to plan and develop our projects.”

When meeting with community members, she said they are often the only state representatives they meet, so staff receives feedback and concerns beyond the Program’s scope.  So, to address these broader concerns, they received funding from the California Natural Resources Agency to commission a report by Better World to compile the comments and feedback, interview community members, and conduct surveys to compile a needs assessment for the region. The report identified eight areas of need. The report is available here.

At the same time, the Salton Sea Management Program released a companion report with the same eight area need areas identified.  The SSMP’s report focuses on what they can do to incorporate aspects that could address those needs.

“There’s not a clear nexus, but we can challenge ourselves to think about how we could somehow provide a benefit,” she said.  “For example, we don’t have jurisdiction for broadband internet, but if we’re in the region and we are digging to install pipes, we can coordinate with other agencies that do and implement a dig once policy.”  The report is available here.

The Program also has a Project Tracker page on the website to find information about the projects, including fact sheets, data, and progress in the planning and construction.   

NEXT STEPS

• Work to advance land access, planning, design, permitting, and implementation of identified next projects to catch up to the acreage milestones.
• Continue to work with partner landowners to expedite and develop programmatic land access agreements.
• Continue to accelerate the expansion of the Species Conservation Habitat project with federal funding and phased commissioning.
• Continue to support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Salton Sea Feasibility Study.
• Advance the opportunities identified in the SSMP and Community Needs Report.