10-year plan aims to restore Salton Sea and reduce toxic dust

Once known as a bustling tourist attraction, the Salton Sea’s reputation has changed to a shrinking and polluted body of water.

That change is mainly due to a decline in Colorado River flow and agriculture runoff. On the eastern shore, the once popular resort town Bombay Beach has turned into a partially abandoned artistic community, home to just 200 people and eclectic art.

But as the water pulls away from the shore, a change is taking place, giving the town new life, and non-profit Audubon California is working to support it.

“There’s a phenomenon happening at the Salton Sea. Where the water no longer meets the sea the water has permeated and percolated through the ground, creating beautiful wetlands. Audobon is working to quantify these wetlands restore and create a model we can use elsewhere,” said Frank Ruiz, the Salton Sea program director for Audubon California.

The permitting process for Bombay wetlands is expected to be finished in 2025.

A few miles down the road, other important work is underway, the state’s Salton Sea Management Program has started its third vegetation enhancement effort, covering a total of 17 hundred acres of exposed, chemical filled shoreline with native plants to stabilize the soil and reduce toxic dust.

“Phase one is complete, projects are aimed to enhance vegetation with a little less use of water, reducing emissions from the emissive lakebed, ” said Miguel Hernandez with the California Natural resources Agency.

The project at Bombay Beach is just a small part of the Ten-Year plan to restore the sea, which will revitalize about 30,000 acres of land.

Some projects like the 60 acre Torres Martinez Wetland have already been completed, but the species conservation habitat won’t be finished for a few years.

This extensive project sits at the sea’s southern end,it’s the state’s first large scale habitat restoration effort, creating a network of ponds for birds and fish.

“This 4,100 acre project is about a $206M investment, and recently the federal government supported this project with $70M, it has the potential to expand about 1,000 acres more,” said Hernandez.

The state’s goal is to finish the ten year plan by 2028, it will cost about 400 million dollars to complete.

But a lack of funding for certain projects, like the water habitat pilot project, has delayed timelines, sometimes for years.

Another challenge, collaboration of land owners, as the Salton sea is divided up like a complex checkerboard, with the state owning less than two percent.

“We work with many different regulators to figure out who is doing what and when,” said Ruiz.

As these conversations and projects take time, toxic dust from the sea continues to impact air quality for those living in the area, Hernandez says the state is working directly with those affected.

“We take their input to the extent that we can so that we can so that we’re addressing not only their concerns but their recommendation,” said Hernandez.

But the ten year plan won’t solve all of the sea’s problems, as the shoreline continues to shrink.

To address the environmental crisis, some have proposed large scale solutions like importing ocean water, but that idea was rejected by a state panel.

Now frank believes its time for the groups involved to look for less water based solutions.

“We don’t have a lot water thank of waterless approaches maximize it ,Let us not think bringing water in is th approach be more practical how do we adapt,” said Ruiz.

As communities and wildlife look for a solution beyond 2028.

“This is just the ten year plan, how they going to be able to protect hundreds of people and habitat?” Ruiz asked.