2019 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 1st, 2019

On November 7, 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an order accepting an agreement defining the state’s commitment to stabilize and manage the Salton

On November 7, 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an order accepting an agreement defining the state’s commitment to stabilize and manage the Salton Sea to protect public health and critical Pacific flyway habitat.  Order WR 2017-0134 outlined the State Water Board’s oversight role in monitoring and ensuring progress toward the goals of the Salton Sea Management Plan (SSMP), which sets annual milestones for habitat restoration and dust-suppression projects over the next 10 years. 

2020 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | 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.

2021 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 31st, 2021

The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) made progress in 2020 toward reducing exposed lakebed and creating habitat at the Salton Sea (Sea). Even amid challenges posed by

The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) made progress in 2020 toward reducing exposed lakebed and creating habitat at the Salton Sea (Sea). Even amid challenges posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, delivering projects that improve conditions for residents as well as wildlife at the Sea remains a key priority for the Newsom Administration. The SSMP worked closely with local, State, Tribal and federal partners to advance important work in 2020 and is poised to build on that momentum in 2021.

2022 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | February 29th, 2024

The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) made significant progress in 2021. It broke ground on the largest restoration project in the Sea’s history, advanced with partn

The Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) made significant progress in 2021. It broke ground on the largest restoration project in the Sea’s history, advanced with partners several other community-oriented restoration projects around the Sea, started important vegetation management work on exposed lakebed to reduce dust emissions, and secured commitment from state leaders for an additional $220 million in funding. This was made possible through partnerships with many other entities and by growing the SSMP Team, including several critical new hires.

2023 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 31st, 2023

2022 was a year of visible progress and momentum for the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) and partners. The first large-scale restoration project in the Sea’s histo

2022 was a year of visible progress and momentum for the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) and partners. The first large-scale restoration project in the Sea’s history achieved major construction milestones, while community-oriented projects and vegetation enhancement made headway around the Sea in collaboration with state, federal and local entities.

2024 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 25th, 2024

Significant, measurable progress continued at the Salton Sea (Sea) over the last year. The largest restoration project in the Sea’s history neared completion, suppressi

Significant, measurable progress continued at the Salton Sea (Sea) over the last year. The largest restoration project in the Sea’s history neared completion, suppressing dust and restoring habitat across thousands of acres at the south end of the Sea. In other areas along the Sea, hundreds of acres now host native vegetation recently planted to suppress dust over coming decades. These plants have taken root, are growing and are beginning to serve their purpose. This year also witnessed the first major investment by federal agencies to stabilize the Sea; the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) granted $70 million to accelerate local restoration projects.

2025 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | March 31st, 2025

The State's Salton Sea restoration and management efforts continued to show significant, demonstrable progress in 2024 – achieving key milestones and accelerating the p

The State's Salton Sea restoration and management efforts continued to show significant, demonstrable progress in 2024 – achieving key milestones and accelerating the pace of critical project delivery functions. With new federal funding, the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) broke ground to expand what was already the largest restoration project in the Sea’s history, and further expansion is being initiated to suppress dust and restore habitat on up to 9,000 acres at the south end of the Sea. In other areas along the Sea, over 1,300 acres — spanning roughly five miles of shoreline — now host native vegetation recently planted to suppress dust over the coming decades.

A Salton Sea Chronology (Prehistory-2015)

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

A Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Housing Market around a Large, Failing Desert Lake: The Case of the Salton Sea in California

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management (Taylor & Francis) | March 2nd, 2018

Many lakes around the world exhibit acute environmental stress due to water transfers, persistent droughts, and polluted runoff. In addition, falling water levels worsen

Many lakes around the world exhibit acute environmental stress due to water transfers, persistent droughts, and polluted runoff. In addition, falling water levels worsen air quality by exposing desiccated shores. To our knowledge, however, no published hedonic study has analyzed the costs of deteriorating water quality jointly with the air quality impacts of falling water levels for a large inland water body. We conduct such an analysis for the Salton Sea, the largest lake in California. Our spatial autoregressive models estimated on single-family properties located within 10 miles (16.1 km) of the Sea show that a 1 km reduction in distance to the Sea results in a $595 decrease in the price of a single-family residence. In addition, a 1% increase in annual particulate matter concentration reduces the value of the average family residence by $1,140. These results highlight the vulnerability of poor rural communities to deteriorating environmental conditions.

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. ...