Salton Sea Authority | Road Dust Control

For the Salton Sea, doing nothing is not an option

The recent Desert Sun editorial addressing problems of the Salton Sea was very important. We must be informed because it could affect us all.

Remember, if no plan gets approved, the biggest problem is doing nothing. Although the sea lies 10 to 20 miles away from our cities, it is ultra serious. It could affect our health, our livability and our tourist industry, which has economic disaster proportions.

Much of the support to date has been on environmental grounds as an important bird wetlands. Absolutely true. But overlooked is the potential multifaceted damage in the cities of the Coachella Valley, almost a half-million residents.

When I produced “Community Dialogue” on local television, I did research for eight Salton Sea programs and a glaring point was the devastation if we let it dry up.

I interviewed three executive directors of the Salton Sea Authority plus the late Roy Wilson, then Riverside County supervisor, and Andy Horne, Imperial County supervisor. Tom Kirk, executive director of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, and Rick Daniels, city manager of Desert Hot Springs, had good ideas when each of them was directing the Salton Sea Authority.
State takes over, drops the ball

Then the state came in and took it out of local hands and did nothing. Now it’s now playing second fiddle to the Sacramento Delta, nearer and dearer to Northern California voters.

We all need a heads-up on this because eventually some entities may have to pay far more than they can handle out of emergency necessity.

Look at this: According to Ted Schade, air pollution control officer at Owens Valley, the Salton Sea problem resembles Owens Valley when its water supply was diverted by the Los Angeles water system. It became a dust bowl with the dangerous particle, PM10, reaching many miles. The Coachella Valley already has a PM10 problem that affects asthmatics. With our swirling winds, the Salton Sea potentially has a larger area of exposure than Owens Valley.

Los Angeles Water & Power spent $400 million constructing dust-control measures at Owens Lake. It costs $40 million per year to sustain it. That’s heavy.

Odor could chase away tourists

There’s more! Drying up could take years but look what can happen in the process. The terrible odor we get occasionally in summer could become much more frequent as more fish keep dying with less water to sustain them. That’s unthinkable. Not only would it make our lives horrendous but we could say farewell to tourists and hello to red ink, especially Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Palm Desert and Palm Springs, where the tourist occupancy tax and sales tax revenue are major income sources.

Drying up is not as rapid as it could be due to agricultural runoff. But, San Diego is trying to cure its water problems by buying water rights of large growers in the Imperial Valley. Danger. Less agriculture lowers the runoff substantially and speeds up the dust bowl process.

The water districts and the supervisors have been fighting the fight. They should enlist the cities to join in because only intense pressure on the Legislature can make things happen. Our legislators need all the help they can get. The more voices the better.

The counties and the cities would certainly not be able to pay the bill if this calamity occurs. It’s time to get involved.

Tags: coachella valley association of governments, salton sea authority, pollution control officer, salton sea, playing second fiddle