2020 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency | February 21st, 2020

Improving air quality and creating habitat at the Salton Sea are key priorities for Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency. The Sea’s continu

Improving air quality and creating habitat at the Salton Sea are key priorities for Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency. The Sea’s continuing decline in elevation and resulting exposure of lakebed negatively impact surrounding communities and reduce remaining habitat for fish and wildlife. The California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (together, the State Team) are focused on implementing the Salton Sea Management Program’s (SSMP’s) 10-Year Plan to improve conditions by constructing 30,000 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects around the Sea.

A Salton Sea Chronology (Prehistory-2015)

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | January 14th, 2016

A Synthesis of Aquatic Science for Management of Lakes Mead and Mohave

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 29th, 2013

Lakes Mead and Mohave, which are the centerpieces of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, provide many significant benefits that have made the modern development of the So

Lakes Mead and Mohave, which are the centerpieces of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, provide many significant benefits that have made the modern development of the Southwestern United States possible. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir by volume in the nation and it supplies critical storage of water supplies for more than 25 million people in three Western States (California, Arizona, and Nevada). Storage within Lake Mead supplies drinking water and the hydropower to provide electricity for major cities including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Tucson, and San Diego, and irrigation of more than 2.5 million acres of croplands. Lake Mead is arguably the most important reservoir in the nation because of its size and the services it delivers to the Western United States. This Circular includes seven chapters. Chapter 1 provides a short summary of the overall findings and management implications for Lakes Mead and Mohave that can be used to guide the reader through the rest of the Circular. Chapter 2 introduces the environmental setting and characteristics of Lakes Mead and Mohave and provides a brief management context of the lakes within the Colorado River system as well as overviews of the geological bedrock and sediment accumulations of the lakes. Chapter 3 contains summaries of the operational and hydrologic characteristics of Lakes Mead and Mohave. Chapter 4 provides information on water quality, including discussion on the monitoring of contaminants and sediments within the reservoirs. Chapter 5 describes aquatic biota and wildlife, including food-web dynamics, plankton, invertebrates, fish, aquatic birds, and aquatic vegetation. Chapter 6 outlines threats and stressors to the health of Lake Mead aquatic ecosystems that include a range of environmental contaminants, invasive species, and climate change. Chapter 7 provides a more detailed summary of overall findings that are presented in Chapter 1; and it contains a more detailed discussion on associated management implications, additional research, and monitoring needs.

Alternative Water Transfers in Colorado: A Review of Alternative Transfer Mechanisms for Front Range Municipalities

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) | November 1st, 2016

Alternative water transfers (ATMs) refer to various methods, activities, and frameworks that have been established to transfer water on a temporary or intermittent basis

Alternative water transfers (ATMs) refer to various methods, activities, and frameworks that have been established to transfer water on a temporary or intermittent basis, primarily from agriculture to other uses. They are labeled as “alternative” because they represent a type of water transfer that does not result in the permanent dry-up of agricultural land, which has been the primary form of water transfers in much of Colorado for decades. ATMs are a body of activities that represent general frameworks or concepts to be molded to the specific conditions of a place and need. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) obtained a grant opportunity to fund research, analysis, and outreach toward the development of ATMs with the potential to improve the financial returns and long-term viability of farming, maintain or improve streamflows which support environmental and recreational activities, and provide a cost-effective means for municipalities to maintain water supply reliability into the future. The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive financial comparison of the water supply development options currently pursued by municipalities to applicable ATMs and to develop recommendations that can increase the application of specific ATM structures with the potential joint benefits to municipal and agricultural water users.

Application of synthetic scenarios to address water resource concerns: A management-guided case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin

Climate Services, Elsevier B.V. | December 9th, 2017

Water managers are increasingly interested in better understanding and planning for projected resource impacts from climate change. In this management-guided study, we u

Water managers are increasingly interested in better understanding and planning for projected resource impacts from climate change. In this management-guided study, we use a very large suite of synthetic climate scenarios in a statistical modeling framework to simultaneously evaluate how (1) average temperature and precipitation changes, (2) initial basin conditions, and (3) temporal characteristics of the input climate data influence water year flow in the Upper Colorado River. The results here suggest that existing studies may underestimate the degree of uncertainty in future streamflow, particularly under moderate temperature and precipitation changes. However, we also find that the relative severity of future flow projections within a given climate scenario can be estimated with simple metrics that characterize the input climate data and basin conditions. These results suggest that simple testing, like the analyses presented in this paper, may be helpful in understanding differences between existing studies or in identifying specific conditions for physically based mechanistic modeling. Both options could reduce overall cost and improve the efficiency of conducting climate change impacts studies.

Averting disaster: Action now for the Salton Sea

Little Hoover Commission | September 1st, 2015

The Salton Sea is shrinking. Currently the state’s largest inland body of water, as it dries up, the Sea poses a substantial threat to public health and the environment

The Salton Sea is shrinking. Currently the state’s largest inland body of water, as it dries up, the Sea poses a substantial threat to public health and the environment. Left unaddressed, desert winds will lift dust from thousands of acres of newly-revealed lakebed and blow it into population centers, agricultural areas and world-class resort economies. This impending crisis is long in the making, a policy paralysis driven by years of government process without implementing a fix. There are clear, understandable and specific mitigation steps that should be taken immediately. The decisions California leaders make in the near future about this remote desert lake will determine whether this dismal scenario will be averted. The Commission urges the Natural Resources Agency to begin implementing shovel-ready projects and the Governor and Legislature to immediately begin planning and funding the next phase of Salton Sea projects while developing a long-term restoration plan. ... When California signed the QSA, it agreed to mitigate the impacts on the Salton Sea caused by the water transfers. The state clarified its intent to restore the sea through the QSA’s implementing legislation. Experts testified it would be tens of billions of dollars cheaper to mitigate the impacts of a shrinking sea up front than to deal with the adverse impacts of inaction. Fulfilling California’s commitment to the Salton Sea is an element of maintaining the terms of the QSA, which provides water security to many Californians. Continued inaction, and the consequent public health and environmental impacts, could undermine political support for the QSA. Further, in the larger picture, California’s fulfillment of its commitments is critical to its ability to negotiate future difficult agreements. ...    

Basis of Design Report - Species Conservation Habitat

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 14th, 2014

The Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project provides shallow water habitat to support fish and wildlife dependent upon the Salton Sea that is being lost due to

The Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project provides shallow water habitat to support fish and wildlife dependent upon the Salton Sea that is being lost due to salinity increases and the declining water surface elevation. The Project is located at the southern end of the Salton Sea (Sea) in Imperial County, California. Through the environmental review process, a Preferred Alternative was selected that encompasses 3,770 acres on both sides of the New River. The Project would include water supplies, berms to contain the water, and various other support facilities. The early start construction of the project is to develop habitat consistent with the EIS/EIR preferred alternative that is scaled down to fit the level of implementation funding currently available. The design described in this report is for early start project (Project) of the SCH and is limited to the 640 acres located within the bay on the east side of the New River. This report provides a summary of the primary design features and considerations associated with the habitat development. A more detailed discussion of the background, purpose, goals, design elements, Preferred Alternative, and Project impacts can be found in the 2011 draft EIS/EIR.  

Bulletin No. 24-60, Coastal Los Angeles County Land and Water Use Survey, 1960

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 9th, 1964

Bulletin No. 31, Santa Ana River Basin

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 1st, 1930

Bulletin No. 32, South Coastal Basin

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 1st, 1930