Salton Sea Restoration

1
Salton Sea Restoration

• Can There Be Salvation For the Sea?
• Kim Delfino
• Defenders of Wildlife
• California Program Director

2
Introduction
The History of the Salton Sea

How was the Sea formed? Ancient Lake Cahuilla
Photo Shuttle View of Salton Basin and Colorado
River Delta San Diego State University Center fo
r Inland Waters
3
How the Sea was formed
The Sea Rises Again In 1905, the Colorad
o River assumed its ancient pattern for awhile
4
The Public Trust Values at the Salton Sea
Hunting Fishing Boating Camping
Photo Canoeing off of Date Palm Beach,
Salton Sea Coachella Valley Historical
SocietyPat Laflin, 1995
5
The Salton SeaCrown Jewel of Avian Biodiversity
Brown Pelican
Black Tern
Eared Grebe
Snowy Plover
Photos Elden Caldwell, Imperial Valley College
6
Californias Water Diet
How do you get California to decrease
its use of Colorado River Water?
Map Salton Sea Watershed Dept. of Water Resourc
es
7
The Effects of the Water Diet on the Salton Sea

• Reduce inflows to Sea by 300,000 AF
• Shrink Sea by as much as 50,000 acres Air
  quality
  
• Biological Collapse

Photo Salton Sea Authority
8
Road to a Deal
2001 No Legislative Deal 2002 SWRCB Decisi
on Still No Deal ISG Enforcement 2003 Deal
Struck Package of
three bills.
Photo Southwest Birders
9
The Restoration Planning Process
Advisory Committee Programmatic EIR/EIS Choo
se Preferred Alternative
By December 31, 2006
Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge
Photo Salton Sea Authority
10
What is Restoration?
Answer to that question depends upon
what your interests are Urban Water Distric
t
Local Interest Conservation Group
Photo Milt Friend Courtesy of the Pacific Insti
tute
11
Salton Sea Restoration Vision

• Values
• Fish Wildlife
• Recreation
• Air Quality
• Water Quality
• Local Economy

Photo Salton Sea Authority
12
Challenges to Restoration

• Certainty of Existing Flow
• Political Pressures
• Scientific Uncertainty
• Lack of Funding
• Lack of Time

Photo Salton Sea Authority
13
Possible Future Outcomes at the Salton Sea
Salton Sea Authority NORTH LAKE PLAN
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Possible Future Outcomes at the Salton Sea

• Imperial Group
• CASCADE CONCEPT

15
Possible Future Outcomes at the Salton Sea

• The Hospice Plan -
• Managing a dying Sea

Photo Salton Sea Authority
16
Conclusion
Photo Salton Sea Authority