Salton Sea Coalition: Advocates for Salton Sea Water Importation
The Salton Sea Coalition is a group of concerned citizens, local officials and water experts in Southern California who advocate for the importation of water to refill and rejuvenate the Salton Sea.
Notes and recording from the Salton Sea Forum – A Plan to Repair – at Trilogy in La Quinta, CA on January 18, 2023
Caroline Hung, a researcher at UC Riverside, discussed the water quality at the Salton Sea and highlighted that changing the sea’s designation as an agricultural sump by the State Water Board is necessary to clean up the pollution. She explained that the sea has high levels of sulfur due to fertilizer dumping, which leads to the production of Hydrogen Sulfide after bacteria eat it. This results in the deprivation of oxygen in the water.
Dr. Ann Cheney of UCR Medical School and her community research partner, Conchita Pozar, shared their findings on children living near the Salton Sea in North Shore. Their surveys revealed high levels of asthma, rashes, and nosebleeds in these children.
Rodney Smith, representing the Binational Canal Company, expressed his frustrations in getting the state to take up ocean water import and highlighted the flaws in the Santa Cruz panel’s report. He also demonstrated how the sea level would decline without water import and how it would become more expensive and difficult to restore the longer we wait.
Chuck Parker of The Salton Sea Coalition discussed how the drying Salton Sea contributes to global warming.
Salton Sea Coalition 