Category: News

June 18, 2025 – LA Times The West’s ‘Climate Mayors’ call for federal help as Colorado River flows decline A coalition of Western city leaders, Climate Mayors, has released a new set of proposals urging stronger federal and state action on water scarcity, as climate change continues to reduce flows in the Colorado River and…

November 29, 2025 – Tortolita Alliance Water Woes XLII No Water~New Water A recent “Water Woes” post from the Tortolita Alliance looks at the widening gap between shrinking Colorado River supplies and Arizona’s push to secure “new water” through major augmentation projects. It notes that the Basin States missed a federal deadline (11/11/25) to agree…

July 7, 2025 – Yale Climate Connections A climate solution lies a mile underground. But who will reap its benefits? Beneath California’s Imperial Valley lies a vast reservoir of potential—both in clean energy and community opportunity. A new wave of interest is focused on extracting lithium from geothermal brine, a method that could revolutionize battery…

July 2, 2025 – Imperial Valley Press Audubon California report reveals a 15% overall increase per year in shorebirds at the Salton Sea A new science brief from Audubon California reports a sharp rise in shorebird populations at the Salton Sea, driven by expanding wetland habitat. Between 2016 and 2023, waterbird numbers grew by an…

May 22, 2025: Audubon.org State Inaugurates Water Flows into Salton Sea Restoration Project Representatives of conservation and community groups celebrated today at the Salton Sea as state officials began filling the 750-acre Species Conservation Habitat Project (SCH) East Pond Expansion. Together with the just-filled East Pond, California will soon have more than 2000 acres of…

May 14, 2025: CalMatters Geologically rich but economically poor, Salton Sea communities want a say in their lithium future The Salton Sea region in California is poised to become a major hub for lithium extraction, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and electronics. As this industry grows, local communities—many of which have long…

April 28, 2025: NBC Palm Springs Salton Sea Authority Launches $22.3M Study to Guide Restoration The Salton Sea Authority has announced a $22.3 million feasibility study to develop a realistic, long-term restoration plan for the entire Salton Sea. Formed in 1993, the Authority coordinates local leaders, agencies, and community input to align projects with state…

April 2, 2025: Salton Sea Management Project Salton Sea Management Program Update: Water Reaches First Pond of Major Restoration Effort As the largest restoration effort at the Salton Sea—the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Project—continues to expand, we’ve reached a critical milestone: water is now flowing into the first pond, known as the East Pond. This…

January 29, 2025: Cal Matters Massive Salton Sea lithium project gets judge’s go-ahead, ending advocates’ lawsuit An Imperial County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by civic and environmental groups against the Hell’s Kitchen lithium mining project at the Salton Sea, allowing the $1.8 billion initiative to proceed. The plaintiffs argued that the project’s environmental…

On January 14, 2025, President Biden designated Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California and Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in Northern California. Tribal leaders, elected officials, and community members celebrated the move, highlighting its significance for conservation, climate action, and tribal heritage. Senator Alex Padilla praised the designation as a major step in protecting public lands,…