Border communities launch urgent plans to save the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea, in the state of California, is contaminated by agricultural waste and the drought has caused pollutants to fly through the air and affect nearby communities, causing respiratory illnesses among residents.

Let’s listen to this report prepared by my colleague Marco Vinicio Gonzalez.
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A recent study by the University of California at Riverside revealed that the rate of asthma in mainly Latino children in the Imperial Valley communities is almost three times higher than the state average. This is due to its proximity to the Salton Sea, the Salton Sea, in Southern California, observers say.

Today the Salton Sea is a highly polluted lake due to climate change drying up because minerals and toxic metals in the water, when it dries out, spray and settle on the shores of its beaches and then float into the air in the swirls common to the region.

“One of the main causes is that access to fresh water that was coming from the Colorado River is no longer coming to the Salton Sea, especially in eastern Coachella.”

Alejandro Espinoza of the Desert Health Care Foundation in Palm Desert, California, explained to Línea Abierta that Coachella is an agricultural area that disposes of water contaminated with pesticides and other chemicals that go into the Salton Sea.

“That obviously get into the environment through the different winds that we have here…. They damage the lung function of children and senior citizens.”

Felicitas Nunez, Co-Chair of the Salton See coalition, advocates importing water from the Gulf of Baja California. Nunez maintains that tribes and communities in Mexico support the idea, but says the government here ignores them.

“You can desalinate the water, and use it to irrigate plants and even to drink, as they are doing in Carlsbad…people have expressed the need to plug the dust and import water. And have water for everyone.

Nunez adds that to address the Salton Sea drought, all West Coast states should come together, regardless of party affiliation, and put pressure on the government.

“Because, whether you’re a different color or a different political party…, we’re all thirsty, we all want water.”

Charles Chuck Parker, also Co-Chair of the Salton Sea Coalition sees it as a problem that the government has been opposed to bringing water from the Gulf of Baja California.

“It’s just that for many years state government officials, various counties and the Water Districts have a bias against bringing water from the sea.”

But that project has already been ruled out by the Water District. And Mexico also lacks water, so the idea of bringing it from the Gulf of Baja California sparks debate and resistance. They don’t see it as a good idea to bring water from south of the border to the north.

Attorney José Luis Fuente has been trying to reach consensus with Mexicali tribes and groups, such as those who stopped the construction of the Constellation Brands brewery, to bring water from the Gulf to the Salton.

“For them to help us push with the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum.”

For Parker, bringing water from the Gulf would also benefit the people of Mexico, because when the Salton Sea no longer depends on water from the Colorado River, he says, this water will flow to the border area in Sonora and Mexicali, to the Colorado Delta.

There is an allocation of $250 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for the rescue of the Salton Sea, of which only $72 million has been delivered, says environmentalist Núñez, who fears that with the new administration, the delivery of the rest of the funds will be suspended.

“If they’re going to take away our federal monies, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and California should get together to bring water to this whole part of the states that is drying up.”

And while the government decides to fully implement IRA funds for Salton Sea recovery, community groups in the area are working hard to prevent the lake from drying up.

For now, in the immediate term, there is also the issue of health in the communities affected by the contamination.

“We have to inform the community and the School Districts… And for people who don’t have a medical diagnosis, connect them with health providers,” says Alejandro Espinoza.

And in the long term, he concludes.

“Periodically check the pulmonary and respiratory health of the population affected by contaminated dust.”

For Noticiero Latino, Marco Vinicio Gonzalez.

This is part of the “Cuando se seca el Arroyo” Series, funded in part by The Walton Family Foundation.