By Kathy & Thom Gottberg  (6/3/10)

            The Salton Sea may very well be the Coachella Valley’s Gulf Oil Disaster. Rick Daniels, former Director of the Salton Sea Authority put it bluntly at the Salton Sea Symposium on May 27th, “There is going to be terrible harm to the economy because of the terrible harm to the environment.  We all moved here because we were drawn to the quality of life—the views, the air, the open farmland, the sea, the wildlife—but all that is in severe distress and danger because the existing quality of life will be gone.  We will have in its place—odor, dust, visibility loss, asthma. You can forget sustainable growth and sustainable communities—you can forget it—because if no action is taken on the Salton Sea, then the ability to do anything about it will just disappear.  No one will move to a smelly and dusty place.”

While never specifically compared, the nearly 600 attendees including scientists, elected officials, business representatives and interested parties at the Salton Sea Stakeholder’s Symposium in Indian Wells, CA, only seemed to agree on one thing—the need to act is critical.  Unfortunately, what to do and how to pay for the “clean up” seems to be as unclear as with the oil leak in the Gulf.

            It wasn’t all doom and gloom.  The speakers and stakeholders present did their best to avoid pessimism and offer alternatives.  Yet, over and over the message was obvious and as stated perfectly by Rick Daniels, “We can’t ignore this problem away.  This problem will occur whether we want it to happen or not.”

            Produced and coordinated by TMG Communications Inc, and jointly sponsored by RBF Consulting and Valley Action Group, the symposium was the first of its type organized and funded by the private sector.  RBF Consulting is an engineering firm and Valley Action Group is a local economic development organization.  A variety of other business sponsors also contributed, as well as several public agencies as a way to educate the public and provide ongoing education for staff.

            Bill Green and Patrick Swarthout both representing the Valley Action Group served as co-emcees of the meeting and opened by stressing the point that “inaction is not an option.”  As Swarthout stated, “We’re all here for one thing—that is to hear about the status and what we can do to help the Salton Sea.

            Marion Ashley, Riverside County Supervisor, and Chairman of the Salton Sea Authority, got right to the point by saying, “The truth is we are no closer to fixing the Salton Sea than when we started.”   Why?  According to Ashley, the cost is not the problem.  Instead he was quick to say that the real difficulty “is lack of consensus.”  He went on to say, “We are running out of time for fixing the sea. If we continue to put off the hard solutions we’ll run out of time to implement them.”

            Opening remarks were followed by a series of short presentations by invited scientists and experts on the history and overview of the Salton Sea.  Billed as a “panel” each expert took the podium and most, with the aid of a PowerPoint Presentation, attempted to explain their insights into various steps or solutions developed in the past and where they believed it necessary to go in the future.  

            Timothy Krantz, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Redlands offered a positive perspective by saying,“ We must change our perceptions of the Salton Sea from a recreational body of water to an energy powerhouse.”   He went on to explain a number of solutions that had been previously considered, and concluded with saying, “I am confidant that all the solutions already exist.” 

            Another expert in this lineup was Dr. Douglas Barnum, the Science Coordinator for the Salton Sea Science Office.  Dr. Barnum explained that after thirty years of study, and after research from 100s of world-class scientists, all the science necessary to make good scientific decisions regarding the Salton Sea is now available.   Dr. Barnum went on to list the primary “constraints” that must be dealt with in order to solve the problem of the Sea.   Of top priority are migratory birds, endangered species, dust emissions and air quality, hydrogen sulfide buildup, selenium buildup, nutrient and salt buildup, and oxygen depletion.   Especially explained was the critical nature of the sea as a wildlife point for migrating birds.  Called the Pacific Flyway, the Salton Sea is the only stop for hundreds of species of birds on their way to and from Alaska to South America. 

            Michael Cohen, Senior Associate at the Pacific Institute next explained why he believes nothing has been done in spite of all the studies.  He said, “If you drive past it (the Salton Sea) still looks like it has over the last 20-40-60 years.”  He continued to explain that most people have no idea that,  “The way things have been, are not the way things are going to be.”  And while we may have a few more good years,  “2018 is the tipping point, then there will be a dramatic area of rapid change.”    The tipping point will be the accumulation of drastically reduced water inflow due to the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), drought conditions causing reduced water from Mexico, reduced agricultural inflow, and increased evaporation from a warming climate.   The sea will become so salty and filled with selenium and other nutrients that it will resemble tomato soup.   Cohen added, “We’re not going to have a dead sea because it will contain a lot of bacteria and viruses.” 

            The next series of experts covered restoration alternatives.  Speakers in this section included Carla Scheidlinger, Senior Scientist for AMEC Earth and Environmental, Peter Nelson, CVWD and VP of the Salton Sea Authority, and Charles Keene, Branch Chief of the Department of Water Resources.  Panel Moderator Scheidlinger explained a number of considered solutions including the Cascade Alternative, The South Sea Partition, and the Pump In/Pump Out Option.  Nelson then explained how Lake Elsinore offered a viable test case for the plan proposed by the Salton Sea Authority.   According to Charles Keene, “The real solutions for the Salton Sea are going to be partial sea solutions.”   Keene went on to say that the state has arrived at a “preferred alternative” after going through over 200 possible solutions with an eye on preserving fish, birds, air quality and the water quality itself.

            Another panel explained the current status of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) and how, or if, it will effect the Salton Sea.  Clearly not in agreement, panel members Steve Robbins, General manager of CVWD and Kevin Kelly representing IID were in favor of the QSA being upheld and Malissa McKeith, Attorney representing the lawsuit apposing the QSA, said, “Nothing would make me happier than the QSA be invalidated.”

            Next, a series of presentations forecast the future of the Salton Sea.  Lee Case, Chief Scientist for the US Geological Survey Salton Sea Office explained some of the current wetland and marsh projects now active at the Salton Sea.  He said, “The key here is that nothing is getting done without collaboration and teamwork.”   Paul Quill from Innovate Land Concepts shared a conceptual community development near the border of the Riverside and Imperial County line named, “Travertine Point” which would bring added population, business interests, renewable energy and attention to the region.            

Also addressing the future of the Salton Sea and providing the symposium’s most personal perspective was Rodney Bonner, Tribal Administrator for the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.  Bonner shared stories of growing up near the Salton Sea and catching fish there as a child.   With 13 square miles of the sea belonging to the tribe, Bonner asked, “if we can’t use our lands how can we survive?”

            Also with an eye to the future was the final panel of the day with representatives from geo-thermal generation plants at the south end of the Salton Sea, large-scale solar developments now in operation, and the California Energy Commission who clarified the place for renewable energy as a benefit in the restoration of the Sea.   The most interesting and promising of the group was James Carlsberg from Kent BioEnergy who explained some of the exciting progress being made with microalgae technologies to treat agriculture and dairy waste, reduce water pollution, restore wildlife habitat, capture co2, and at the same time to produce valuable products—including biofuel. 

            Also offering brief comments were John Benoit, Riverside County Supervisor during the lunch break and Andy Horn, Deputy County Executive for Imperial County during closing remarks.  Both men urged attendees to action and cooperation.   One sole call for specific action was to urge people to become members of the Valley Action Group.

            What happens next? Terry Weiner from The Desert Protective Council had this to say, “Although the theme of  ‘we must all work together and we can do this’ was repeated a lot, I do not think that there will be any progress (from this meeting) toward restoring the Salton Sea.”   Instead she continued, “The symposium's purpose, it seemed to me, was simply to showcase the issues and challenges.”   Or, maybe as another anonymous attendee said, “It helped me get clear about my five and ten year plans, like when to sell my house and when to sell my business.”

            If the symposium accomplished anything it made it even clearer that inaction will come at a cost to everyone connected to the Coachella Valley.  Unfortunately, as stated by Rick Daniels, “The people have become desensitized to the problem.”   Most everyone in the desert knows that eventually something must be done about the Salton Sea, but just like with a frog in a pot of water on a low setting, the frog is comfortably being cooked to his own demise.    If that same frog were put into a boiling pot of water he would jump out and save himself immediately.  The Salton Sea hasn’t started boiling yet, and no saving action seems eminent.

            One thing is clear, after listening to dozens of experts outlining details for one “preferred plan” over another “preferred plan” for saving the sea, there is too much confusion and disagreement among leadership for the necessary consensus to be arrived at any time soon.  A common excuse seems to be that it is so complicated and so expensive that we have a long way to go.   In past years there has been lots of money spent on studies, plans and tests with lots of highly qualified individuals, but what appears to be missing is the vision and leadership necessary to bring everyone together and cooperate for the good of the whole.   Meanwhile, this symposium, the first to bring private enterprise into the mix, may provide the necessary ingredient to bring about the critical next step.

                        For now, what can the average citizen in the Coachella Valley do to help?  When asked, Rick Daniels said, “The people of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys need to get a hold of their legislatures and demand action—they also need to get a hold of member of the Salton Sea Authority and demand that they take action, because failure to clean up the Salton Sea is going to destroy the communities and the quality of life that we’ve come to enjoy.” 

            Buford Crites said it another way by saying, “The Salton Sea is not somewhere out there or over there—the Salton Sea is in our valley—it is part of our environment.  It is part of our economic future or decline and is central to the quality of life for folks who live in the Coachella Valley.”     He continued with, “We will regret it (if we don’t take action) and spend much more money trying to figure out how to undo what we should have done and ultimately still end up with a less healthy product.”  His suggestion for getting people involved was to say, “People actually need to go down and see it.  Most people haven’t been there for years.  Go down and look at the new North Shore Yacht Club, it’s remarkable.  Go down to the Sonny Bono wildlife reserve.  Take a peak along some of the shorelines and watch the variety of migrating birds.  Watch the sun go down over Anza Borrego from the Eastern Side of the Salton Sea—it is one of the most stunning views in all the United States.”  He finished by saying, “Learn to love something and you’ll learn to take care of it.”