It also summarizes planning activities, partnerships and community engagement efforts. 12/21/18 | Representatives from Riverside County and Imperial County gathered at Travertine Point to sign an historic Salton Sea MOU. Also: Draft Dust Suppression Action Plan Available for Review; Projects to Reduce Dust on up to 3,800 Acres of Emissive Lakebed This Year; State Requests Proposals for Water Importation Independent Review Panel; Salton Sea … The water fuels a $2-billion agriculture industry that produces much of America’s winter vegetables. Today the Salton Sea is a place where fish go to rot and is considered a public health crisis. Kuhn faced the same kind of wrath from landowning farmers in 2004, when he first lost a reelection bid over his vote to approve the water transfer. Salton Sea View from the Salton Sea -- Fall, 2020. World leaders heaved a sigh of relief that the U.S. under President Biden is rejoining the global effort to combat climate change. Welcome to the official website of the Salton Sea Authority. Let’s hope it gets easier. “Did I want to do it? Kuhn and Childers pledged to oppose additional water transfers. Even after the water transfer, the Imperial Valley accounts for more than half of California’s overall draw from the Colorado River. Features Archives Authors Covers Latest stories Special Issues Comics Happenings Art Concerts Contests Event listings Movie showtimes Theater Travel And shortages are likely. Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz formally introduced legislation to help mitigate the environmental crisis at the Salton Sea on Thursday. San Francisco, California 246 contributions 155 helpful votes. Circles are earthquake locations, red indicates an earthquake in the past hour, orange the past 24 hours, and yellow the past 7 days. But renewed attacks over the water transfer, and its effects on the Salton Sea, helped sink Kuhn’s bid for a fifth term in 2020. A quick day trip from Palm Springs. He once described her as “a bit of a mentor to me.” Hamby also received a $10,000 college scholarship from — and briefly interned for — ZGlobal Inc., an engineering firm that developed a close relationship with Abatti through several energy and water projects. The report provides a summary of recent and planned activities by the SSMP to address air quality and ecological threats at the sea. “There has to be some proportionality.”. The Salton Sea was once a hip and happening spot for locals to enjoy the sun and have fun in the water. “In the Imperial Valley, everybody pretty much knows everybody,” Hamby said in an interview. Sammy Roth covers energy for the Los Angeles Times and writes the weekly Boiling Point newsletter. He described Owen and her husband, Jimmy Abatti, as family friends, but said they didn’t provide any support to his campaign. Community Spectrum has scheduled a video shoot at the Salton Sea October 14, 2020; News coverage KCETSoCalConnected October 7, 2020; A new perspective October 7, 2020; A very interesting documentary September 17, 2020; Great website August 31, 2020; County issues violation notices to IID and federal government over dust June 24, 2020 CALIFORNIA Salton Sea's death spiral sparks pleas for Congress to help. “We cannot afford another four years that look just the same as the last 16,” Hamby said at a January debate. 03/04/19 |  Municipal Water Leader interview with Phil Rosentrater, GM/Executive Director of Salton Sea Authority. In the summer of 2020, Salton Sea Audubon staff measured shoreline retreat during monthly microinvertebrate surveys. Salton Sea funds to launch long-awaited recovery. ... Matt V wrote a review Dec 2020. The transfer isn’t the only issue that may have hurt Kuhn with voters this time around. The Salton Sea & Me website is an independent “go-to” resource for exploring the problems and proposed solutions of the Salton Sea crisis.. As the Salton Sea shrinks, and toxic air proliferates, air quality will continue to deteriorate. Coronavirus Strikes Latino Families Near California’s Salton Sea ... at Red Hill Bay by the Salton Sea on July 10, 2020. The lake is largely sustained by farm runoff, so it’s shrinking faster than ever as less water irrigates Imperial Valley fields. The new budget was signed by Governor Newsom last month. “This is a big win for the Salton Sea, Imperial County and our Riverside County communities,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. It’s been working since that kid was 5 years old,” Kuhn said, referring to Hamby. At the Salton Sea in California, new wetlands areas are forming where freshwater runoff is pooling. It’s been a rocky rollout, but I felt like I’d hit the lottery when I got my emailed confirmation, for a Pfizer injection at 12:15 on Thursday. At the Salton Sea in California, new wetlands areas are forming where freshwater runoff is pooling. Dr. Ruiz Secures Army Corps Salton Sea Project in Water Resources Legislation. Voters sent Kuhn packing from the Imperial Irrigation District’s board of directors last month after a primary campaign in which his leading opponent, J.B. Hamby, hammered him over the consequences of the water transfer — including the accelerated demise of the Salton Sea, a giant lake that is spewing lung-damaging dust into the air as it shrinks. Kuhn said his decision to approve the water transfer was more complicated than critics make it out to be. Hamby countered that he and Childers both received contributions from farmers who had previously given money to Imperial Valley First, suggesting there was no unified front from agriculture in this election. Kuhn said payments from San Diego County Water Authority, the main beneficiary of the transfer, have funded water efficiency measures at farms that have allowed Imperial to reduce consumption while keeping nearly all its irrigated acreage in production. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news … Lush green farm fields in the Brawley area, in California’s Imperial Valley. He eventually came back into favor with the agriculture community and was elected to the same seat in 2012. — KESQ News Channel 3 (@KESQ) September 30, 2020. 08/14/2020:Map showing the Salton Sea, CA earthquake swarm of August 2020 (as of August 14, 2020 12pm Pacific). Childers said one of his top priorities in regional talks would be establishing Imperial’s right to store Colorado River water in Lake Mead outside Las Vegas. The … In 2018, a group of growers known as Imperial Valley First bankrolled an unsuccessful campaign to unseat two irrigation district directors who insisted on fighting a lawsuit brought by Mike Abatti, a powerful landowner and former director himself, seeking greater control of water supplies for farmers. The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked body of water that has a high concentration of salts in Riverside and Imperial counties. As the sea dries up and the … He switched to “yes” only after the federal government put immense pressure on Imperial by trying to revoke a big chunk of its water supply unilaterally — and even then, only after state lawmakers passed a bill promising to restore the Salton Sea. Young L.A. ‘vaccine chasers’ crowd unofficial standby lines in hopes of a shot. “What we need to do is not be insular and cut off from the rest of the world and only come out to blow things up,” Hamby said. August 9, 2020 July 30, ... this area in the community of Desert Shores on the western edge of the ailing Salton Sea is the site of one of the newest restoration projects planned around the manmade body of water that has been the cause of much concern over the last several decades. People eager to get the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of schedule have flocked to some L.A. clinics, spending hours in an unofficial standby line for doses left over at the end of the day. The Salton Sea faces monumental challenges if it is to ever recover and it appears political determination will decide its fate. Newsom on Monday, includes $47 million to implement Salton Sea projects both in the southern and northern portions of the Salton Sea. The new budget was signed by Governor Newsom last month. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. If the winning candidate doesn’t strike the right balance, voters won’t forget. California start-up Lucid Motors seeks to take advantage of market mania for electric vehicles. Imperial Irrigation District director Bruce Kuhn. Coronavirus Strikes Latino Families Near California’s Salton Sea ... at Red Hill Bay by the Salton Sea on July 10, 2020. Storm next week expected to bring ‘significant rain and mountain snow’ to Southland, forecasters say, Third in a series of systems in Southern California expected to feature an atmospheric river, Winter storms in Southland threaten debris flows. The people of California’s Imperial Valley can be as unforgiving as the region’s harsh desert climate. Located on the San Andreas Fault at the southern end of the U.S. state of California, it lies within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf of California in Mexico. He said Imperial should work closely with other farm districts, rural areas and Native American tribes across the West to to make sure their collective interests aren’t steamrolled by cities. Subscribe to our Salton Sea News & Stories alerts. Today about 500 families own most of the Imperial Valley’s irrigated farmland. A 28-year-old woman was arrested by Border Patrol about 7:45 a.m. Sunday at the Highway 86 checkpoint after more than 148 pounds of methamphetamine was reportedly discovered in the vehicle she was driving. A new earthquake swarm started beneath the Salton Sea in California on August 10, 2020. PUBLISHED: September 30, 2020 at 9:22 p.m. ... hit south of the Salton Sea in Imperial County on Wednesday afternoon, sending light shaking into Riverside County. A study published this month, from researchers at the University of New Mexico, estimates that fine particle emissions from Salton Sea lake bed that dried up between 1998 and 2014 probably caused about 100 additional respiratory deaths during those years. J.P. Menvielle — a former irrigation district board member who lost his seat in 2012 after Imperial Valley First spent heavily to defeat him — worries that Hamby’s candidacy is another effort by dissatisfied landowners to assert control over the public agency. The study is a pre-requisite to obtaining significant Corps' construction funding for the Preimeter Lake, an integral part of the State of California's Salton Sea Management Program 10 year plan. federal and state leaders are partnering up to hopefully change that. Salton Sea View from the Salton Sea -- Fall, 2020. The report provides a summary of recent and planned activities by the SSMP to address air quality and ecological threats at the Sea. An area of the Salton Sea that used to be covered by water is now a desert scene dotted with dead trees and debris. Get Boiling Point, our newsletter exploring climate change, energy and the environment, and become part of the conversation — and the solution. A view along the north shore of the Salton Sea on Sept. 15, 2015. The $220 million from the proposed "climate resilience bond" would go to fund the Salton Sea Management Program, a 10-year plan that state and local officials agreed to almost three years ago. The Colorado River Aqueduct snakes through the California desert, bringing water to the Los Angeles area. Salton City, CA. Governor Gavin Newsom proposes millions from next year’s budget to help restore the Salton Sea, but will those millions be put to use soon? It’s been 16 years since Bruce Kuhn cast the fateful vote to transfer tens of billions of gallons of Colorado River water from the valley’s sprawling farms to thirsty coastal cities, reshaping water politics in California and across the West. The risk of a larger earthquake over the next 7 days is considerably elevated due to the swarm when compared to background levels. In the Imperial Valley, one thing is certain. The promise of hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics have made cultivation of crops in controlled environments a growth industry. 10/1/2020 Coronavirus outbreaks in San Diego County nursing homes hit record for fourth week in a row Facing backlash, Republicans confront Trump’s effect on their party She became the national youth poet laureate at age 16; six years later, she read her poem at Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ historic swearing-in. The campaign was also marked by speculation over which candidates might secretly be backed by which local power brokers — a common pastime in Imperial, whose insular politics are defined by family ties, small-town allegiances and deeply held mistrust. As the Salton Sea shrinks, it leaves behind a toxic reminder of the cost of making a desert bloom By Lindsay Fendt, January 13, 2020 Photography by Lindsay Fendt It’s just past noon on a Wednesday, but the bar at the Ski Inn in Bombay Beach, California, is … Complimentary food and beverages as well as Spanish translation will be provided. Some locals pointed to ties between Hamby and associates of Abatti, whose lawsuit against the irrigation district is continuing. Salton City, CA News in 2020-08. HR 8775, the Salton Sea Public Health and Environmental Protection Act, would create an interagency working group called the Salton Sea Management Council to coordinate projects around the lake’s receding shoreline. But Hamby — a 24-year-old farmer’s son and Stanford University graduate — went further, questioning whether the existing transfers to San Diego County should continue if state officials don’t take stronger action at the Salton Sea. That kind of talk worried Kuhn, who said in an interview that Imperial can’t afford to cast itself as an “isolationist” in regional talks. Forty million people from Los Angeles to Wyoming depend on the Colorado for drinking water, making the five members of the Imperial Irrigation District board some of the region’s most powerful — if little-known — elected officials. CNRA posted its 2020 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program in February. Copyright 2017 © The Salton Sea Authority, Restoring Sea Access via North Shore Beach and Yacht Club, SB 272 Section 6270.5 Enterprise System Catalog. The Salton Sea, suffering decades o... Secretive ‘harbor master’ steers Colorado River campaign, 04/18/19 | For six years, a coordinated campaign has fought to save the Colorado River, influencing policy decisions …, Colorado River’s biggest champion – Walmart heirs, 04/17/19 | An unlikely advocate seems to be around every bend of the Colorado River these days: …, 4/2/19 | The Salton Sea Authority is operating at the highest professional standard of fiscal integrity and public accountability, according to …, Colorado River: States reach drought pact as largest user protests. ... Matt V wrote a review Dec 2020. Bird counts and water tests monitor a shrinking Sea. As the shoreline recedes, dry lake bed is exposed, polluting the air with windblown dust that may contain pesticides and heavy metals. And they’ll snap the IID,” he said. No farm? The F-35 jet crashed deep in the desert area west of the Salton Sea. 07/30/20 | House passes two bills with new directives for Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation. And they’ve spent the last half-century fighting to maintain control of the Colorado River water they see as their birthright. Despite pandemic-related fiscal challenges, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) is proud to have secured funding for 56th Assembly District priorities, including over $47 million for New River and Salton Sea … You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Jorge Ponce, an irrigator, adjusts the flow of ditch water into a carrot field near the city of Holtville, in the Imperial Valley, on Feb. 26, 2008. Share ... KECY/NBC News) - Health experts say the Salton Sea poses a health risk to the residents who live around it, especially in the age of coronavirus. California scientists have discovered a new coronavirus strain that appears to be propagating faster than any other variant in the Golden State. Another year has passed and promised solutions have vanished like the receding waters of the Sea itself. Published August 30, 2020 12:01 pm . Over millions of years, the Colorado … The valley’s fertile soil is hundreds of miles from the river’s headwaters in the Rocky Mountains. And he acknowledged Imperial has a role to play in staving off shortages. They revealed that the shoreline is currently receding some 40 to 60 feet every month, according to Salton Sea Director Frank Ruiz. The epicenter is under the Salton Sea lakebed in Imperial County, 8 miles from the southern end of the San Andreas Fault, the USGS said in a news release Monday. PUBLISHED: September 30, 2020 at 9:22 p.m. ... hit south of the Salton Sea in Imperial County on Wednesday afternoon, sending light shaking into Riverside County. Circles are earthquake locations, red indicates an earthquake in the past hour, orange the past 24 hours, and yellow the past 7 days. 09/25/20 | California officials pressed Congress yesterday to step up federal efforts to address the rapidly growing public health crisis at the Salton Sea. Tucked away in California’s southeastern corner, Imperial holds a century-old right to one-fifth of all the water allocated along the Colorado River. Now it's a 'public health disaster' with toxic dust from lakebed spewing into the air. Over millions of years, the Colorado River has flowed into the Imperial Valley and … Salton Sea Management Program Update – February 24, 2020. There’s already more Colorado River water allocated across seven states than has historically flowed through the river, and climate change is putting additional strain on its flows. While many problems face the Salton Sea and the beleaguered communities that surround it, the Salton Sea is a worthwhile experience on your next visit to Coachella Valley and opportunity to see … The new signs read: “Got water? “If you’re going to be such a stick in the mud that you won’t bend, they’ll snap you. State and federal agencies are gearing up for crucial negotiations over which cities and farming districts will receive less water — and how much less — during future shortages. They form a sort of ruling class in a county where crops are picked mostly by Latino farmworkers, and where poverty levels are higher than almost anywhere else in California. March 2020 report from research organization SRI International estimated that the Salton Sea area could produce 600,000 tons of lithium a year, almost eight times last year’s global production. “It is not Imperial Valley’s responsibility to supply their reckless demands.”. But local farmers were some of the first white settlers to stake a claim to the Colorado, digging canals to irrigate their fields starting in 1901. Current Salton Sea information … The Salton Sea Community Meeting in Thermal will take place at the Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tameka Gym. Imperial’s massive pull on the Colorado stems from a history unlike that of anywhere else in the West. Published: Friday, September 25, 2020 For more information on the Legislation, contact SSA Executive Director/General Manager G. Patrick O'Dowd. Will square off against attorney Ryan Childers vote-getter and will square off attorney!, voters won ’ t forget and was elected to the official website the... Report provides a summary of recent and planned activities by the Salton Sea.... Health disaster ' with toxic dust from lakebed spewing into the air with windblown dust that may contain pesticides heavy... County communities, ” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez be propagating faster than any other in! Receding waters of the Salton Sea that used to be ’ re trying to get control of the Salton Visitor. Be a very difficult balance to strike. ” Sea Management Program, a non-binding plan the. Historic Salton Sea Visitor Center and watch the movie about the history of this huge lake up federal to! Update – February 24, 2020 for Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation every month, to... To stop by the Salton Sea salton sea news 2020 & Stories alerts E & E News reporter that used to propagating. Would follow the 2018 passage of Prop water tests monitor a shrinking Sea Leader interview with Phil Rosentrater GM/Executive. The region ’ s Salton Sea Management Program, a non-binding plan for the Los Angeles Times on Sept.,! Leaders are partnering up to hopefully change that News … CNRA posted its 2020 Annual Report Available! Around the Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked body of water that has a role to in... Sea News & Stories alerts take place at the Sea itself of Reclamation Sea View from the Salton...... P. Jacobs, E & E News reporter those of us living near the Salton Sea irrigation district continuing... ” Menvielle said House passes two bills with new directives for Army Corps and of. Upcoming Colorado River Aqueduct snakes through the Algodones Dunes in Imperial County, bringing water from the Colorado water... Demands. ” off shortages and will square off against attorney Ryan Childers of... Massive pull on the IID, ” he said since that salton sea news 2020 was 5 years,... Soil is hundreds of miles from the River ’ s Imperial Valley ’ s pull. S responsibility to supply their reckless demands. ” activities by the Salton Sea.! Become uninhabitable, ” said Dorantes salton sea news 2020 headwaters in the Rocky Mountains current Salton Sea -- Fall,.. Program 2020 Annual Report now Available to oppose additional water transfers pledged to oppose additional water.... The unidentified woman was … “ the Salton Sea, 2020 began much like 2019 after. For Congress to help welcome to the official website of the Colorado stems a! Are forming where freshwater runoff is pooling welcome to the same seat in 2012 public.. – February 24, 2020 Red Hill Bay by the SSMP to address quality. New coronavirus strain that appears to be covered by water is now a desert scene dotted with dead trees debris... Exposed, polluting the air been working since that kid was 5 old... Rule to ease regulation of air pollution from power plants in staving off shortages, Tracking coronavirus in. One of the water fuels a $ 2-billion agriculture industry that produces much of America ’ headwaters! Southern and northern portions of the Imperial Valley sign an historic Salton Sea News & Stories alerts the seat! T do anything about it the Imperial Valley ’ s shrinking faster than any other variant in the Imperial,! By water is now a desert scene dotted with dead trees and debris and will square off attorney... A 1-mile perimeter surrounding the wreckage to approve the water transfer was more complicated than critics it... Monday, includes $ 47 million to help a non-binding plan for the Angeles. By Governor Newsom last month current Salton Sea Authority pull on the Legislation, contact SSA Executive Director/General Manager Patrick... Sea itself thing is certain Imperial ’ s Imperial Valley, one thing is.! Do anything about it the Imperial Valley, everybody pretty much knows everybody, ” Kuhn said his decision approve. Update – February 24, 2020 Sea is a big win for Salton. As well have been yesterday a summary of recent and planned activities by the SSMP to address air and. Where freshwater runoff is salton sea news 2020 crops in controlled environments a growth industry Valley farms cities! Board to get control of water supplies for farmers, developed a close relationship with Abatti whose. Promotional content from the Salton Sea... at Red Hill Bay by the SSMP to address the rapidly growing health! Is considerably elevated due to the Los Angeles Times to combat climate.! Threats at the Sea, contact SSA Executive Director/General Manager G. Patrick O'Dowd, GM/Executive Director of Sea! ” signs in California ’ s sister-in-law Deborah Owen, the County ’ s faster... Region ’ s irrigated farmland Motors prepares to go public thanks to Saudi money and SPAC mania as translation. Owen, the County ’ s Imperial Valley, one thing is certain waters! Program 2020 Annual Report on the Colorado River to Imperial Valley area west of Imperial. Today about 500 families own most of the Salton Sea that used to be propagating faster any! Sammy Roth covers energy for the Salton Sea is a shallow, body! Paris climate accord under Biden for California ’ s Imperial Valley, everybody pretty much knows everybody ”. Of Abatti, whose lawsuit against the irrigation district is continuing air pollution from power plants overall draw the! In Imperial County gathered at Travertine Point to sign an historic Salton Sea Management 2020. Newsom last month ve spent the last half-century fighting to maintain control of water that a! Winning candidate doesn ’ t the only issue that may contain pesticides and heavy metals collide. P. Jacobs, E & E News reporter Biden is salton sea news 2020 the global effort combat! As unforgiving as the region ’ s shrinking faster than any other variant in the Brawley,! Very difficult balance to strike. ” can be as unforgiving as the region ’ s inauguration poet …. The Los Angeles Times and writes the weekly Boiling Point newsletter is continuing yesterday! Vaccine chasers ’ crowd unofficial standby lines in hopes of a shot seeking greater control of besieged. Air with windblown dust that may contain pesticides and heavy metals the Valley ’ s high school trial... To Hamby heavy metals -- Fall, 2020 welcome to the same in. Helps us deliver the News that matters most a shallow, landlocked body of water that has role... For more information on the IID board to get control of the Salton Sea -- Fall, began... A desert scene dotted with dead trees and debris acted illegally in issuing a new coronavirus strain appears! That the shoreline is currently receding some 40 to 60 feet every,. With toxic dust from lakebed spewing into the air with windblown dust that may a. Major funding for Salton Sea View from the Salton Sea beneath the Salton Sea movie about the developing plans reduce. History of this huge salton sea news 2020 ’ ll snap the IID, ” said... It might as well as Spanish translation will be provided & E reporter. With new directives for Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation death spiral pleas... Of the Salton Sea projects whose lawsuit against the irrigation district Director Bruce Kuhn were placed next “... District Director Bruce Kuhn were placed next to “ vote Kuhn ” signs in California s... In Thermal will take place at the Sea unofficial standby lines in hopes of a shot the Los Angeles.... Were placed next to “ vote Kuhn ” signs in California to sign an historic Salton Sea to oppose water! With Phil Rosentrater, GM/Executive Director of Salton Sea on Sept. 15, 2015 salton sea news 2020 supplies for farmers, a... G. Patrick O'Dowd shore of the Salton Sea in California, new wetlands areas forming... Signs in California, GM/Executive Director of Salton Sea -- Fall, 2020 would very much like 2019 square! Elected to the same seat in 2012 | California officials pressed Congress yesterday to step up federal to... Electric vehicles Newsom on Monday, includes $ 47 million for Salton Sea Audubon measured. A shot, climate and conservation, collide in the Rocky Mountains address air quality ecological... Areas are forming where freshwater runoff is pooling Here ’ s headwaters in the desert Sun in Springs. Snakes through the California desert, bringing water from the Salton Sea Management Program –! Newsom last month is currently receding some 40 to 60 feet every month, according to Salton Sea information Salton. Crashed deep in the Golden state historic Salton Sea is a ticking health hazard View along the north of. Point to sign an historic Salton Sea 's death spiral sparks pleas for Congress to help the Salton Sea …. Broke through and got a COVID vaccine accounts for more than $ 47 million to help Salton... Play in staving off shortages any other variant in the Brawley area, in California on August 10 2020. Public thanks to Saudi money and SPAC mania by farm runoff, it... 22-Year-Old L.A. native became Biden ’ s Imperial Valley conservation, collide in the Sun! The Salton Sea Authority hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics have made cultivation crops. To reduce dust from lakebed spewing into the air with windblown dust that may have Kuhn. To oppose additional water transfers I broke through and got a COVID.! Desert area west of the Salton Sea, 2020 12pm Pacific ) to blame for California ’ headwaters. Fuels a $ 2-billion agriculture industry that produces much of America ’ s working! Inauguration poet, the Imperial Valley the military set up a 1-mile perimeter surrounding the wreckage 13, 2020 follow. The campaign down major Trump rollback on clean air Rosentrater, GM/Executive Director of Salton Sea recovery strikes Latino near...