Salton Sea Management Program and Community Needs

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | January 31st, 2024

In the Southeastern corner of the state, straddling Imperial and Riverside counties, the Salton Sea (the Sea) is California’s largest inland lake and home to many Calif

In the Southeastern corner of the state, straddling Imperial and Riverside counties, the Salton Sea (the Sea) is California’s largest inland lake and home to many California Native American tribes and communities. Once a resort destination, the Sea has since become a growing environmental issue. The Sea has been shrinking, largely due to water transfers out of Imperial Valley that reduce inflows to the Sea. Drought and changes to Colorado River water availability exacerbate this trend. Although it continues to provide a vital stop along the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds, the water has become increasingly saline. As the Sea shrinks, it exposes the lakebed that has the potential to release dust, contributing to worsening air quality in a region already struggling with poor air quality from high wind events, idling vehicles, high off-road activity, commercial truck traffic, and agricultural burning. Compounding this, communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley have for decades also faced social and economic challenges. While these vibrant communities have rich cultural and natural resources, they suffer from decades of underinvestment. Residents have highlighted that local communities struggle with poor air quality, health issues, low broadband access, unreliable electricity, limited access to recreational opportunities, inadequate transportation systems, and underfunded public health infrastructure and services. These challenges make it difficult to overcome the growing environmental challenges related to the Sea.

Salton Sea Management Program Phase 1: 10-Year Plan Imperial and Riverside Counties, California Draft Environmental Assessment

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | June 21st, 2022

This Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and analyzes and discloses the effects of the implementation of t

This Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and analyzes and discloses the effects of the implementation of the Salton Sea Management Program’s (SSMP’s) Phase 1: 10-Year Plan (SSMP 10-Year Plan or Applicant’s Proposed Project) being proposed by CNRA (California Natural Resource Agency), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), collectively known as the SSMP team. The SSMP team is seeking Department of the Army (DA) authorization from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Los Angeles District, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA; 33 USC §1344). The SSMP 10-Year Plan proposes to implement a total of 29,800 acres of aquatic habitat restoration and dust suppression projects around the perimeter of the Salton Sea. At least 50 percent of the project acreage will be created as habitat for fish and wildlife that depend on the Salton Sea ecosystem and the remainder will be projects to suppress dust.

Salton Sea Monitoring Implementation Program (MIP) Annual Work Plan 2024

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

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are implemen

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are implementing the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) to address air quality and ecological threats at the Salton Sea. The SSMP has a plan for action over the 10-year period from 2018 to 2028 (Phase 1: 10-Year Plan), which aims to improve conditions around the Salton Sea by constructing projects that create habitat and reduce dust from the exposed lakebed on 30,000 acres. Since the state is not a significant landowner in the area, collaboration with land-owning entities is essential and a top priority for the SSMP. The SSMP team also recognizes the crucial role of partnerships in meeting restoration goals through collecting data, facilitating project implementation, and helping obtain funding sources. The Salton Sea Monitoring Implementation Plan (MIP) is a regional-scale monitoring plan for the Salton Sea ecosystem (CNRA 2022). The MIP, which was developed with input from implementing partners (agencies, non-governmental activities to measure conditions of water, air quality, land cover, biological resources, and socioeconomics. The MIP prioritized indicators and metrics and summarized methods and sampling regimes. These indicators were prioritized based on their informativeness and relationship to key resources and drivers of the Salton Sea ecosystem, feasibility of measurement, and relevance for management actions. Some indicators were recommended only for focused study to inform a specific management-articulated information need or specifically identified data gap.

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) | July 31st, 2024

This Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) will guide the management of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), San Luis NWR and Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (W

This Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) will guide the management of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), San Luis NWR and Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for the next 15 years. Located in Merced County, California (Figure 1-1), these three units are managed and administered by the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex (the Complex). A fourth unit, the San Joaquin River NWR, is also managed and administered by the Complex but already has a CCP for its management, which was completed in 2006 and amended in 2022. For the sake of this document, the term Complex refers to the San Luis NWR, Merced NWR and Grasslands WMA only. The Complex comprises just four of the 568 refuges that currently make up the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or the Service) National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS or Refuge System). The mission of the NWRS is to conserve a network of lands and water for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife and plant resources of the United States for the benefit of present and future generations. As part of the Refuge System, the three units—Merced NWR, San Luis NWR and Grasslands WMA—addressed in this CCP provide important habitat for a unique assemblage of both wetland- (particularly waterfowl and other waterbirds) and upland-dependent wildlife species of California’s Central Valley. This CCP is divided into five chapters: Chapter 1, Introduction and Background; Chapter 2, Comprehensive Conservation Planning Process; Chapter 3, Refuge Resources; Chapter 4, Refuge Management Direction; and Chapter 5, Implementation. Click here for full appendices.

Select Water Quality Parameters During Wet and Dry Conditions in the Colorado River Delta

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) | August 27th, 2022

Single- and multithread rivers originate from (im)balance between lateral erosion and accretion

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | July 10th, 2025

Click here for an article about the research, "Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration," from the UC

Click here for an article about the research, "Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration," from the UC Santa Barbara Current

South San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project— A Synthesis of Phase-1 Mercury Studies

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | March 7th, 2023

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) encompasses over 6,000 hectares of former salt production ponds along the south edge of the San Francisco Bay and rep

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) encompasses over 6,000 hectares of former salt production ponds along the south edge of the San Francisco Bay and represents the largest wetland restoration effort on the west coast of North America. A series of studies associated with Phase 1 (2010–2018) restoration activities that are focused on a historically mercury contaminated slough and series of ponds within the restoration area have recently been completed. This report brings together the key findings of these loosely coordinated studies and integrates the results into a more comprehensive and holistic product that informs future restoration activities associated with the SBSPRP and elsewhere.

Statement of E. Joaquin Esquivel, Chair, California State Water Resources Control Board Before the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee Hearing on Federal and State Efforts to Restore the Salton Sea

Salton Sea Authority | September 24th, 2020

Good afternoon Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. My name is Joaquin Esquivel and I am the Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board. Th

Good afternoon Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. My name is Joaquin Esquivel and I am the Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board. Thank you for the invitation to join you today to speak about the Salton Sea and the opportunity we all have to help bring attention to California’s largest lake.

Strategic stream gauging network design for sustainable water management

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 3rd, 2024

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compo

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compounded by gauge deactivations, limit our ability to track river flows and address global water challenges. Here we introduce an approach for identifying gauging sites to efficiently fill gaps in monitoring coverage within river networks while also addressing water management priorities, including reservoir operations, biodiversity conservation and hydroclimatic monitoring. Applying this approach to gauges in California, United States, we found substantial gaps in the stream monitoring network. Hypothetically reconfiguring gauges to locations that maximize coverage and representation of management objectives highlights the current network’s biases. Through the strategic reactivation and placement of additional gauges, we demonstrate how stream gauging networks can be designed to support sustainable water management.

Summary of the MeHg Panels of the 2004 CalFed Science Conference

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 22nd, 2004

Mercury (Hg) can become an environmental problem when sulfate-reducing anaerobic bacteria, in the presence of organic substrates, form methylmercury (MeHg), a highly toxi

Mercury (Hg) can become an environmental problem when sulfate-reducing anaerobic bacteria, in the presence of organic substrates, form methylmercury (MeHg), a highly toxic compound that endangers wildlife and people by accumulating in their food. The spatial and temporal variation in MeHg production is mainly a function of the availability of inorganic mercury to methylating bacteria. Typically only a small percentage (e.g. < 5 %) of total inorganic mercury is available for methylation. The amount of MeHg that actually becomes available for bioaccumulation depends on many environmental factors operating at different spatial scales, from watersheds to microbes. Scientists are working to prioritize these factors for management actions.