Contaminants from natural sources, farm runoff and industrial waste breed diseases that cause die-offs of fish and birds. All too frequently, thereıs the dreary task of hauling away rotting bird carcasses to be incinerated. Periodically, dead fish litter the shores, and thereıs a foul odor in the air.
³For 25 years, weıve known there were problems, but now theyıre causing such a spectacle that it canıt be ignored any longer,² said Bloom, manager of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. ³Old-timers say there have been occasional fish kills as long as they can remember. Now itıs every week. Things are accelerating.³
To save the Salton Sea, its wildlife, and tourist economy, local, state, and federal agencies have put their heads together under auspices of the Salton Sea Authority. ³The problems are expensive and solutions have seemed out of reach until the recent federal interest encouraged by (Rep.) Sonny Bono,² Jim Stubchaer, a State Water Resources Control Board member, said.
Before Bono was killed in a New Yearıs holiday skiing accident, he had helped nudge the Salton Sea into the national spotlight as an environmental priority.
About the Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is 120 miles northeast of San Diego and halfway between Palm Springs and Mexico in the bioregion known as the Colorado Desert. It was formed in 1905 when the accidental breach of a canal temporarily diverted Colorado River water into a natural depression below sea level. Four rivers feed the sea, but there is no outlet. Water escapes only by evaporation.
The Salton Sea, covering 240,000 acres, is Californiaıs largest lake and the largest continuous below-sea-level area in North America. Its watershed covers 7,500 square miles. The sea is 35 miles long itıs 13 miles longer than Lake Tahoe and 9 to 15 miles wide with 115 miles of shoreline. Its deepest part is only about 50 feet.
The rivers that flow into the Salton Sea contain agricultural chemicals, pesticides, fertilizer, industrial waste, and selenium, a trace mineral in soil that washes into irrigation runoff. The heavily polluted New River leaves Mexico as a witches brew of sewage and other waste from Mexicali. During its journey some 60 river miles to the Salton Sea much of the contamination is filtered and diluted, but still is a matter of concern.
Agricultural drainage and waste from the Imperial and Coachella valleys, mixed with mountain runoff, flows into the Salton Sea, legally designated a repository for farmland wastewater.
Salt is the biggest problem in the Salton Sea, already 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Salinity has reached 44 parts per thousand, edging close to the level that imperils all fish, 45 to 50 parts per thousand. Ocean salinity is typically about 35 parts per thousand.
At the current annual rate of increase 1 part per thousand conditions soon will become critical for fish. Studies have forecast the sounding of a death knell within 15 years, when the sea would be too salty. Sport fishing, an economic mainstay, would dwindle and die. Without fish, the birds would have no food and no handy other source, Bloom said. Demise of the popular fishery and duck hunting spot, and declining appeal to swimmers, water skiers and boaters, could plunge the Salton Sea into an economic tailspin. But the dismal picture has brightened with the kindling of great interest in staving off a disaster.
³We and all of the stakeholders are working toward managing the whole Salton Sea watershed to reduce pollution to levels within EPA limits and also sustain a healthy ecosystem,² said Liann Chavez, section chief for basin planning for the Regional Water Quality Control Board in Palm Desert.
Dreams and Reality
At one time, the ³sea in the desert² was a novelty recreational attraction for sports fishers, boaters, birders and vacationers. Movie stars went there. Motels, restaurants, subdivisions, and other economic life appeared on its shores, and developers saw potential for a lucrative resort area.
But the sea continued to grow saltier and flooding pushed up the water level to 227 feet below sea level, low by most standards, but high enough to damage marinas, waterfront property, and wetlands.
Some believe perception is worse than reality, and a cleanup could turn things around. ³The sea has a huge perception problem,² said Tom Kirk, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority. ³Thereıs a fear even of touching the sea thatıs completely unfounded. Itıs Class 1 recreational water.²
Despite its troubles, the sea attracts some 250,000 visitors a year, many for camping at 1,600 sites at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
The sea is a popular stop-over for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, attracting more than 1 million a year. It is home to at least 5 endangered species, including the California brown pelican and Yuma clapper rail, and many sensitive species.
To shelter them, two refuges were created on the southern end. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operates the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, home to 384 bird species, the third highest bird population among U.S. refuges, after Texas and Florida.
The California Department of Fish and Game runs the Imperial Wildlife Area. In winter, at least 38 species of shorebirds and 25 species of waterfowl rest and refuel at the refugesı ponds and mud flats. Bloom says 125,000 ducks and 30,000 snow and Ross geese spend the winter there.
Wildlife Deaths
Every year now, the Salton Sea spells doom for fish and birds. Bird deaths, documented since 1987, are approaching 250,000, primarily caused by cholera, botulism, and Newcastle disease. Some die-offs are massive, as in 1992 when 150,000 eared grebes and ruddy ducks succumbed to disease. In 1994, another 20,000 birds died and in 1996, avian botulism claimed up to 25,000, including 1,400 endangered brown pelicans. Hundreds of the stricken pelicans were saved after being taken to a rehabilitation facility in Orange County that flushed the toxins from their bodies.
|
|
|
|
³We need to establish some baseline data so we can figure out whatıs happening and what to expect in the future,² Bloom said, adding that in the meantime, ³We will have to continue with a Band-Aid operation.²
Millions of fish die. In summer, die-offs occur from low oxygen due to heavy algae and bacteria. In winter, chilling of the water kills tilapia, a non-native fish that thrives only in warmer water.
Taking Action
Deterioration of the Salton Sea flashed on government radar screens more than a decade ago. The state Resources Agency established a task force in 1986. Then in 1993, the Salton Sea Authority was formed by Riverside and Imperial counties, the Imperial Irrigation District and Coachella Valley Water District to coordinate improving water quality, enhancing recreation, and promoting economic development.
The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, state Resources Agency, and Department of Fish and Game are ex-officio members. Californiaıs Secretary for Resources Doug Wheeler sounds a note of caution about too quickly adopting an unproved but costly restoration strategy. ³We must expeditiously explore all the options and not rush to judgment,² Wheeler said. ³Whatever we determine is the best solution for reducing salinity and saving this unique desert resource, its wildlife, and recreational economy must be a cooperative, collaborative effort.²
Last year, a congressional task force prepared a plan to gather scientific data needed to solve the Salton Seaıs complex problems. Local and state officials are hopeful that congressional support will help deliver the main ingredient for saving the Salton Sea: money, perhaps up to $2 billion, depending upon the solution.
With wildlife deaths mounting, more than 100 scientists, agencies, and academics gathered in Palm Springs last August for a ³Save the Salton Sea² workshop.
A host of agencies took part, including the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state Fish and Game, California State Parks, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, State Office of Historic Preservation, University of California, Davis and Riverside, Department of Health Services, and the Salton Sea Authority.
Weighing the Options
The Authority together with the state Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had produced a study with 54 options for reducing salinity to no more than 35 to 40 parts per thousand.
The 1997 study also recommended dropping the seaıs elevation from 227 to 230 or 235 feet to relieve water damage to marinas, waterfront property, and wetlands. The two most talked-about ways to achieve these goals are to impound the saltiest water in a diked pond where salts could be removed through evaporation, or the costlier alternative: pump out the water to a receiving body. ³Salinity is a major culprit in the seaıs demise,² Kirk said. ³The question is, will these potential solutions save all of the seaıs values, or some?²
Dikes and ponds could reduce salinity to acceptable levels in 4 to 30 years, depending on their size. The options could cost $185 million to $600 million, and the pump-out option is costlier still. To pay for detailed environmental studies of the options, the state has committed $2.5 million from voter-passed Proposition 204 and the federal government has provided $7.4 million.
Secretary Babbittıs Visit
In December, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt visited with state and local representatives at the Salton Sea and proposed a dual approach to finding a solution to its problems.
³We have a resource here that we canıt simply abandon,² Babbitt told reporters after the meeting. ³There arenıt many places where you can see the concentration of waterfowl and birds you have here. Itıs obviously an important national resource.² Babbitt proposed initiating the environmental assessment under the direction of the Authority and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and establishing a Research Management Committee and a Science Subcommittee.