State Inaugurates Water Flows into Salton Sea Restoration Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SALTON SEA, Calif. (Might 22, 2025) – Representatives of conservation and neighborhood teams celebrated as we speak on the Salton Sea as state officers started filling the 750-acre Species Conservation Habitat Venture (SCH) East Pond Growth. Along with the just-filled East Pond, California will quickly have greater than 2000 acres of habitat acres on the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake and the linchpin within the state’s efforts to guard crucial reservoir storage alongside the imperiled Colorado River.

The Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Venture is the primary large-scale mission of the State’s 10-year plan for bettering circumstances on the Salton Sea. It’ll create a community of ponds and wetlands that can scale back mud emissions by inundating playa – uncovered lakebed – and it’ll present necessary fish and hen habitat. All main building has been accomplished on the preliminary 4,100 acres. Now, the mission has expanded to a footprint of over 9,000 acres, made attainable by current federal funding from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Salton Sea Administration Program.

Members of the Salton Sea Partnership, a coalition of main conservation and neighborhood teams who’ve labored for greater than a decade to guard public and ecological well being within the area, marked as we speak’s inauguration alongside Assistant Secretary of Salton Sea Coverage Joe Shea and different state officers. 

“What a fantastic day!” mentioned Michael Cohen, senior fellow for the Pacific Institute. “We congratulate the various, many individuals who’ve labored for years to plan and assemble and take a look at and now run this big wetland. We’re delighted to see the money and time and energy transformed into a lot water on the bottom and might’t wait to see all of the birds that present up.”

“We’re proud to rejoice this pivotal milestone on the Salton Sea, a mirrored image of years of tireless neighborhood advocacy and collaborative work,” mentioned Silvia Paz, government director for Alianza Coachella Valley. “The filling of the Species Conservation Habitat ponds brings renewed hope for the area’s atmosphere and public well being. This progress, paired with the crucial funding secured by the California Local weather Bond handed by voters in November 2024, ensures the Salton Sea Administration Program has the assets it must ship actual, lasting change for our communities and ecosystems.”

“We acknowledge all the laborious work and obstacles surpassed  to provide the primary important milestone mission, out of many wanted,” mentioned Eric Montoya Reyes, government director of Los Amigos de la Comunidad, Inc. “Congratulations, and we stay up for the continued progress that addresses environmental and human well being points on the Salton Sea.

“You possibly can’t overstate the significance of this large remediation mission lastly coming to fruition,” Joan Taylor, Chair of Sierra Membership’s CA/NV Desert Committee, “This could spark new hope in surrounding communities that it actually is feasible to keep away from the upcoming human well being and ecosystem catastrophe on the Salton Sea.”

“This can be a large day for the various 1000’s of birds that decision the Salton Sea house, in addition to the close by communities in search of aid from the unhealthy mud kicked up from uncovered playa,” mentioned Andrea Jones, Audubon California’s director of conservation and interim government director. “Finally, water is the important ingredient that gives life for this neighborhood—and the truth that it’s flowing into this mission ought to give everybody hope that higher days are coming.”

Underneath the Quantification Settlement Agreement in 2003, the state of California dedicated to funding mitigation and restoration on the Salton Sea to deal with the widespread habitat loss and dirt emissions. Over time, there have been legislative proposals, public hearings, conferences and planning classes. At present’s occasion celebrates the operation of the primary large-scale habitat mission on the Salton Sea.  

Nearly 400 hen species depend on the deep water, shoreline, mudflats, and wetlands on the Salton Sea, in addition to the river channels and agricultural drains main into it. Traditionally, tilapia lived within the sea, offering important meals for a lot of species, together with California brown pelican, American white pelican, double-crested cormorant, and Caspian tern. The filling of the brand new SCH ponds is meant to recreate misplaced habitat for fish – and for the birds that eat them. 

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Media contacts: 

Alianza Coachella Valley: Braxton Kellogg – (208) 589-9323
Audubon California: Jason Howe, jason.howe@audubon.org
Pacific Institute: Michael Cohen – (720) 564-0651
Sierra Membership: Joan Taylor – (760) 408-2488
Los Amigos de la Comunidad, Inc.:  Eric Montoya Reyes (760) 550-5153