DLNews JTFMax Salton Sea Saga:

The State Water Resources Control Board (Board) is holding a series of meetings to discuss the Salton Sea's future. The first was held this Tuesday. Board staff members and local and federal officials spoke about their efforts to avert ecological collapse at the Salton Sea and what the future could look like. Representatives from the Imperial Irrigation District, the Board’s Office of the General Counsel, and environmental agencies participated.

The conversation focused on the possibility of extracting lithium from the Salton Sea to make batteries for electric vehicles. Several companies are interested in doing so, and demand for the battery metal is expected to grow substantially as cars with rechargeable batteries replace gasoline-powered vehicles.

But the extraction of lithium is only one piece of the puzzle. It will also require constructing all the supporting infrastructure to make the projects viable. That includes pipelines to transport the mineral, plants to turn it into batteries, power generation, and a network of distribution centers.

That is a lot of work. And it will need to happen in a way compatible with the environment and communities. The Board is working to find ways to do that, but it won’t be easy.

The Board is taking a fresh approach to managing the Salton Sea. In November, the Board approved a new water order for the Salton Sea that shifts its jurisdiction in the future from the Imperial Irrigation District to the Board, sets annual milestones over the ten-year phase one of the Salton Sea’s restoration, and establishes funding for habitat and air quality projects.

The move has prompted hope among some local leaders that the Salton Sea can be saved. But it’s too early to say for sure. The long-term plans the IID and DWR developed are still proposals that need funding and implementation.

As reported, many community leaders must be more confident about the proposed projects. They are worried that the projects won’t do enough to restore the sea or help address the issues that caused it to shrink and swell in the first place.

They are also concerned about what happens when the projects are built and begin operations. For example, they are worried that the dust generated by the lithium production activities will impact the health of residents living nearby. Katie Burnworth, who monitors the geothermal activity at CE Generation’s Salton Sea power plant for the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District, says that the process is messy and the waste might contain hazardous materials.

Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-25) knows all of this. He grew up in the Coachella Valley, where his mother picked crops, and his father fixed farm machinery. He has seen what can happen when the area gets its act together, but he also knows that the region’s most important resource is not oil, gas, or solar power; it is its people and the community they built around their shared love of the desert.

The Future Of Salton Sea Saga And Its Impact To Surrounding Communities continues!