In a key step toward stemming one of the state’s most significant public health and ecological challenges, DWR today released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a large-scale, multimillion-dollar project at the southern end of the Salton Sea. The 3,770-acre Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project will suppress hazardous dust contributing to ...
Salton Sea Unit
North shore of the Salton Sea, Riverside County
DWR's Salton Sea Unit supports the California Natural Resources Agency’s Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP), created by then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s Salton Sea Task Force to address the urgent public and ecological health issues resulting from the drying and shrinking of the Salton Sea. The issues include air quality impacts from dust emissions and loss of important wildlife habitat.
While the SSMP is a long-range program, its immediate focus is on the development and implementation of the Phase I: 10-Year Plan. We support the SSMP and the Phase I Plan by providing planning, engineering, and environmental expertise for design and implementation of dust-suppression and habitat projects. The Phase I Plan includes projects that will be completed as early as the end of 2022. Proposition 1 provided $80 million in funding for SSMP implementation.
About the Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake, extending from the Coachella Valley into Imperial Valley. It is 35 miles long and 15 miles wide. Though saltier than the ocean, the Salton Sea supports an abundance of fish and is a food source for millions of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.
Over the last several decades, water levels at the Salton Sea have declined and salinity concentrations have increased due to climate fluctuations, agricultural conservation measures, cropping practices, and reduced inflows from Mexico.
Declining lake levels create more particulate air pollution that threatens important bird habitat and poses public health risks.
In May 2015, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. created the Salton Sea Task Force and has directed agencies to develop a comprehensive management plan for the Sea to meet a short-term goal to build 9,000 to 12,000 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects, and a longer-term goal of up to 25,000 acres.
Salton Sea Project Map
Map of current Salton Sea project locations.
Salton Sea Documents
- Salton Sea Management Program - Phase 1: 10-Year Plan (2017)
- Full Audit of Salton Sea Restoration Fund 2013
Salton Sea Monitoring Plan
Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan 2015
Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project EIS EIR
- Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Final EIS EIR 2013
- Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Draft EIS EIR 2011 Part 1
- Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Draft EIS EIR 2011 Part 2 Appendices
*All documents listed below are available upon request.
Salton Sea Monitoring Plans
Final Salton Sea Monitoring and Assessment Plan 2013
Quality Assurance Quality Control Plan For The Salton Sea Air Monitoring Network 2010
Presence and Abundance 2006Cyprinidon maculariusReview and Recommendations of Methods for Monitoring Desert Pupfish
Salton Sea Restoration Program PEIR
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Final PEIR Vol 1 Ch 1-6 2007
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Final PEIR Vol 1 Ch 7 2007
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Final PEIR Vol 1 Ch 8 2007
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Final PEIR Vol 1 Ch 9 2007
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Final PEIR Vol 2 App A Attachments 1-9 2007
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Final PEIR Vol 2 App A Attachments 10-14 2007
Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program Draft PEIR 2006
Final Award List (2013)
| Applicant | Project Title | Amount Requested | Score and Review | Amount Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Red Hill Bay | $2,980,454 | 87 | $1,194,154 |
| Imperial Irrigation District/Sephton Water Technology | Salton Sea Water Habitat Pilot Project | $2,003,004 | 80 | $692,819 |
| Salton Sea Authority/Torres Martinez Tribe | Habitat Enhancement & Creation: GeoTube Technology and Solar PV Power on SS Playa Torres Martinez Wetlands | $1,339,887 | 80 | $1,113,027 |
| Salton Sea Authority | Alamo River Wetland Near Holtville, CA | $2,371,212 | 60 | $0 |
| UC Berkeley | Field test of a novel wetland treatment system to provide clean water for the SS Species Conservation Habitat | $1,065,993 | 39 | $0 |
| So Others May Eat/H2o Futures | Salton Sea Farms: ISAS Discovery Center | $1,000,000 | 30 | $0 |
| Salton Sea Authority/Tetra Tech | Se Bioaccumulation & Ecological Risk Assessment at Four Wetlands Near the Salton Sea | $403,746 | 18 | $0 |
Contact Information
Department of Water Resources
Integrated Regional Water Management
Salton Sea Unit
901 P Street, Room 411-A
Sacramento, CA 95814