Salton Sea water to sea of Cortez - Desert Sun Opinion page

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OPINION
Valley Voice: We must begin work on bringing Sea of Cortez water to the Salton Sea
G. Dana Hobart, Special to The Desert SunPublished 8:00 a.m. PT July 27, 2019



The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake: roughly 35 miles long by 15 miles wide. Its surface is 233 feet below sea level. Our 17-year drought caused the sea to recede even faster, resulting in greater sea bottom exposure ("playa”). Winds and other factors create serious health issues by fanning PM 10 and other dust particles throughout the Coachella Valley and much of Imperial County. Asthma rates are among the nation’s highest.
As Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy, Bruce Wilcox, summarized the Salton Sea’s health picture, “Conditions are dire and we have to do something now for habitat and … dust suppression.”
The county and Salton Sea Authority are promoting a “North Lake” plan to construct approximately 30,000 acres of salt water ponds (lakes) and wetlands as part of the state’s 10-year plan to counter growing expanses of dry lake bed. This 10-year plan is limited to the northern and southern portion of the sea and is expected to cover less than half the dry lakebed that experts say will be exposed a decade from now. The continuing playa erosion is projected to extend to 60,000 acres by 2028. That amounts to nearly 100 square miles of dry, dust-producing playa laden with 100 years of farm chemicals that must be kept under water.
The solution lies in filling the sea with water. But what source would produce enough water to cover the lakebed (playa) years into future years? Where would we get such huge quantities of fresh or salt water?
There is but one realistic source: the Sea of Cortez.


Stagnant water and mud pools just beneath the surface of the playa where the Salton Sea continues to shrink at the northwest end of Salton Sea, April 30, 2019.

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Strangely, some supporters of the North Lake plan are urging elected officials to refrain from endorsing importation of “salt” water. Rather, they urge support of “water importation,” but without referencing salt water or plain water.
In November 2015, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted to support a sea-to-sea water transport concept as the long term solution to deal with the receding shoreline of the Salton Sea. “The sea-to-sea concept should be carefully reviewed by the state as a long-term solution,” said Supervisor Ryan Kelley.

In October 2018, Mr. Wilcox, referenced 11 competing proposals for planning the long-range Salton Sea renewal process. The three finalists supported importing salt water from the Sea of Cortez. Nothing else makes sense.
Mark Johnson, former Director of Engineering for CVWD, opposed the county’s North Lake approach. He called it “another water tax for a project that does not provide a comprehensive Salton Sea solution.” In his letter to the Board of Supervisors he observed that importing water “provides a comprehensive Salton Sea solution for the entire region and needs to be fully vetted before a North Lake project can be realistically considered.”
This canal carries water from the Sea of Cortez to a lake basin called the Laguna Salada near Mexicali, Mexico.
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This canal carries water from the Sea of Cortez to a lake basin called the Laguna Salada near Mexicali, Mexico. (Photo: Gustavo Solis/The Desert Sun)

There is every reason to begin the protracted administrative red tape of securing the approvals needed to authorize importing Sea of Cortez salt water. These entities are involved: Riverside County, Imperial County, State of California, the State of Baja California, probably the Mexican federal government, the U.S. Federal government, two water districts and tribal interests. What is to be gained by delaying the start of this lengthy administrative process?

For years, Coachella Valley and Imperial County authorities have received dire predictions on the spiraling Salton Sea. Toxic dust particles endlessly blow from the evaporating Salton Sea and continue to plague us.
Everyone agrees the solution involves importing millions of gallons of water annually. The Sea of Cortez is the only answer. Without further delay.
On July 18, 2019, the Rancho Mirage City Council unanimously voted to support importation of salt water and fresh water to the Salton Sea.
 
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The only problem with this whole thing is the Mexicans saying yes to digging a ditch to get sea water into laguna salada. We would have to pay for 100% of the construction and pay for the land use blah blah..

when lake mead gets to 1050' asl and we cut off supply to mexico the shits going to hit the fan.
 
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Scary what the Sea could be in a few years if this problem isn't tackled. I'd hate to lose my freelance ducking areas due to habitat change as much as anyone.. not to mention the impeding ecological disaster of the airborne toxins as the water recedes. Do something!
 
So here is the funny part... Mexico built the Las Arenas treatment facility and started force main sewage uphill from mexicali south to the treatment facility. about 10% at last word and expected to be more but i duno, its mexico. Folks in the usa bitched because the water is flowing south ( really its going underground) and going to the sea instead of back north into the salton sea.

Mexico has little interest in helping us fix our sea given that we destroyed the largest wetland on earth when we dammed up the Colorado river. KARMA baby its a bitch!

The new river would be the end channel to get sea water into the salton sea
 
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because they are... sorry i was not not clear. Mexico is taking about 10% of their raw sewage and sending it to get treated.

The New River's flow is composed of agricultural and chemical runoff waste from farm industry irrigation in the U.S. (18.4%) and Mexico (51.2%), sewage from Mexicali (29%), and manufacturing plants operating in Mexico (1.4%)

that water in the new river is way past nasty :)
 

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