Polluted paradise: California to decide fate of Salton Sea

SACRAMENTO – A bill that determines the future of Southern California’s biodiverse desert oasis will soon pass through the hands of the state’s Assembly Appropriations committee. The legislation follows up on a 2003 agreement to restore Salton Sea. The water-body currently both thrives and suffers from fertilizer-rich agricultural runoff from neighboring Imperial and Coachella valleys.

“California’s Salton Sea … has been adopted by millions of birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway and also attracts human anglers and boaters,” the Pacific Institute reports.

The institute’s Michael Cohen says, “Without the state’s backing and action on the Sea, the 2003 IID-San Diego water agreement collapses, and the statewide water crisis gets that much worse. The legislature should move quickly to … set the Sea on the road to recovery, protecting public health and enabling stakeholders to roll up their sleeves and get to work on resolving the Sea’s long-term future.”

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Source: The Pacific Institute