Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
April 30, 2007
1. Top Items
Latest in plans to save Salton Sea would cost $6.9 billion; Without action, officials predict accidentally created habitat would vanish by 2036 - Associated Press
Editorial: It's time for all of us to save the
By David Kelly, staff writer
A gusty wind churned the Salton Sea , bouncing and buffeting the small boat atop frothy waves.
Randy VonNordheim steered toward an orange buoy, stood with a wobble and began pulling in 150 feet of sunken gill net.
Anticipation hung heavy in the air, as did the malodorous scent of decaying fish from a distant beach.
A glint of yellow, then red, flashed in the dripping nets.
"Randy, what would you do if there was a corvina in there?" asked biologist Sharon Keeney, leaning in for a closer look.
"I'd die of shock," said VonNordheim, a technician for the state Department of Fish and Game. "That would be the holy grail."
No one has seen the sleek corvina in this 35-mile-long inland sea for five years. The toothsome sport fish, which can weigh as much as 50 pounds, once lured anglers from around the state and kept marinas in business and bait shops bustling.
Not anymore.
As the net came in, the corvina were absent — again. That glint was tilapia, hundreds of flopping tilapia, the last major fish species left in the sea. Plentiful and easy to catch, but with a taste some liken to mud, they lack the cachet of corvina.
California Fish and Game biologists have been netting and counting fish every three months here since 2003, hoping to better understand how the state's biggest lake is changing as it grows ever saltier.
The results are both confounding and disturbing. In spring 2003, scientists stopped seeing corvina, then sargo and croaker. And with 11 nets in the water, researchers brought in just one tilapia.
The sport fish simply vanished and hasn't been seen since. But the tilapia, a native of Mozambique
"It's early in the season and there are probably 400 or 500 fish here," Keeney said as gulls and pelicans wheeled overhead. "Last spring we probably got 300 the whole time."
But scientists say these boom and bust cycles are erratic and fear one day all the tilapia will die, eliminating a critical food source for many of the 400 species of birds nesting or wintering along the shore.
"The tilapia have been a real head-scratcher for us," said Jack Crayon, an associate biologist at Fish and Game and an expert on Salton Sea fish. "Increasing salinity made it impossible for sport fish to breed but seemed to have no impact on tilapia. We worry about the fluctuation in population, because we don't know why it happens. What happened in 2003? What will happen in 2008?"
Eventually the saltiness will be too much even for tilapia, and they too will probably disappear, leaving only small sailfin mollies, mosquitofish and desert pupfish behind, experts say. According to a report prepared by Fish and Game and the California Department of Water Resources, that could happen as early as 2021, though some tilapia might persist in less saline areas where rivers, creeks and canals enter the sea.
The lake is already 25% saltier than the ocean, and the decision to redirect farm runoff from the Salton Sea means it's shrinking as well.
In response to this potential environmental disaster, the state Resources Agency has drawn up a 75-year, $6-billion draft plan to save the sea, a plan that could be released as early as today. It calls for a less salty sea about one-sixth its current size, a series of ponds for habitat restoration and up to 70 miles of canals and barriers.
Crayon says striped bass, smelt, shad, croaker and maybe even corvina could be returned when salt levels reach that of the ocean.
But any plan will have to be approved by the Legislature and then take years to implement. In the meantime, if the tilapia vanish, fish-eating birds such as the endangered California
"About half the bird species would be gone," Keeney said.
The Salton Sea has become a critical stopover for hundreds of thousands of birds on the Pacific Flyway. It's not unusual to see thousands of pelicans or ibis lift up as one and soar overhead.
As a result it has become a prime spot for birders, who tramp the desolate shores looking for black skimmers, snow geese, eared grebes, clapper rails, double crested cormorants and hundreds of other species.
"The area has declined in fishing attractiveness," said Chris Schoneman, manager of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. "Now most of our visitors are bird watchers. We've had visitors from 20 different countries looking for birds."
Crayon said that in the 102 years since the Salton Sea was accidentally created by a levee break along the Colorado River, 95% of California
"The sea has become a replacement for those wetlands," he said. "The people who don't value it are not informed about it."
Crayon, who lives along the lake and fishes it regularly, thinks it could become a premier spot for both visitors and fish.
"At one point there were more visitors to the Salton Sea than Yosemite ," he said.
"It could happen again, but there is a huge public relations hill to climb. You have to get the fishing back and people swimming and boating."
As for the fishing part, Crayon says that despite warnings of high selenium levels in Salton Sea tilapia, he eats what he catches.
"Of course I eat it," he said. "And I don't glow in the dark." #
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-saltonfish30apr30,1,3740488,full.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
Latest in plans to save Salton Sea would cost $6.9 billion; Without action, officials predict accidentally created habitat would vanish by 2036
Associated Press – 4/30/07
By Christina Almedia, staff writer
SALTON SEA -- The
And with good reason.
Ever since, the lake has been a
Its future, however, is in doubt. The 365-square-mile sea is shrinking and, with plans to divert more of the water that feeds it, could lose 60 percent of its volume in the next 20 years, killing the fish and devastating the 400 species of migrating birds that feed on them. And as the lake contracts, more land will be exposed to fierce desert winds that can whip sand and foul the air breathed by thousands of people.
That is the backdrop as the state Water Resources Department reworks a draft plan calling for spending $6.9 billion over 75 years to save the
Though there is consensus something should be done, it is unclear whether lawmakers will go along with an expensive fix. In fact, the problem has loomed for years, and nearly two dozen proposals to help have gone nowhere.
"If we dawdle around and don't go after this hard, we'll end up with a dead sea before we can fix it," warned Rick Daniels, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, a coalition of local governments and agencies. "The fish will be dead and the birds will be gone."
Ringed by the mountains, the Salton Sea sits in
The lake has a stark beauty. On a still day it glistens, reflecting the blue
Stretching 35 miles long and up to 15 miles across, the lake is fed primarily by runoff from
But with more and more water being diverted from the Colorado River to satisfy the needs of the booming Southwest and cities such as
"It's on the verge of collapse," said Doug Barnum, a U.S. Geological Survey chief scientist at the
The lake is a critical stop along the Pacific Flyway, a route for more than 100,000 migratory birds. Among the approximately 50 endangered and sensitive species are the
Chris Schoneman, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project leader at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, said people don't seem to realize the sea's significance.
"If a place like the
It's not just wildlife that's threatened. An estimated 134 square miles of dusty lakebed – an area five times the size of
The draft plan calls for a smaller but more manageable
The plan also envisions a complex system of drip-tubes that would irrigate plants and keep the dirt from blowing away.
Officials say a combination of state and federal funds, along with local taxes, will pay for the restoration. Annual costs will start at $52 million and eventually rise to $125 million.
As for whether the Legislature can find a way to fund it, Water Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman said: "It's going to be challenging at best."
Woody Rogers, a 57-year-old construction worker, and his wife, Frankie, have owned a home along the
Their lakefront property would become desertfront under the plan. That is OK with them, provided the sea is saved.
But
LOCATION:About 135 miles southeast of
SIZE:
HISTORY: Formed in 1905 when a levee break along the Colorado River caused its flows to enter the Salton Sink, among the lowest points in
ECOSYSTEM: A critical stop along the Pacific Flyway for more than 100,000 migratory birds, including a number of threatened and endangered species such as the
FUTURE:During the next 20 years the amount of water flowing into the lake will drop by 40 percent. Without action, the sea will shrink by more than 60 percent, eventually exposing 134 square miles of dusty lakebed to desert winds and causing its already high salinity level to triple and kill all the fish.
PLAN FOR SURVIVAL:A draft proposal calls for spending $6.9 billion over 75 years. The state Water Resources Department will present a final version to the Legislature within the next two weeks.
Sources:
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/state/article_1672945.php
Editorial: It's time for all of us to save the
Desert Sun – 4/29/07
It's time to wake up and take a hard look at what is happening to the
The sea is dying and its continued demise would create one massive 40-mile dust bowl that would kick up so much pollution and toxins from the bed of the former lake that respiratory illness would increase and tourism dollars decline.
We have to act now. That means you have to act, now. This month, you have to step up and make demands of and influence people outside the Coachella and Imperial valleys. That's four weeks to make a difference.
This is a small area to outsiders, which means we face an uphill battle convincing the rest of the state that the sea is worth saving, even though it is the largest lake in
You have the power to make them care.
We urge you not to leave this critical job to others.
Rick Daniels, the executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, has done an outstanding job galvanizing the community around this urgent cause.
He's been masterful at getting more than 5,000 people and more than 70 government agencies, community organizations and civic groups in our area to support restoration of the
We have to help sell the restoration of the sea. Our local delegation in the state Legislature and in Congress understand how critical the
We must lobby them. We must enlist the help of any statewide organization that has the ear of legislators. Restoring the sea will undoubtedly be expensive - the state's latest proposal would cost $6 billion. Don't let the $6 billion price tag scare anyone away. It's a lot of money, but it's money spent over a period of 70 years.
So what can you do? Plenty.
Every mayor and city council who endorsed the
Take note
Every business should make the case to the California Chamber of Commerce and push the statewide chamber to use its political clout. Every one of our chambers directors should do the same.
Our tribal leaders must use their political muscle - and money - to lobby on behalf of the
The Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority and the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism must lobby state legislators as well because tourism will nose dive if the
Our captains of industry who have made significant campaign contributions to public officials in
Environmentalists should write or call any organization they are members of and press for the
Citizens should write state legislators. Contact
Same too with the governor.
The governor's office can put pressure on the Legislature, but only if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger knows your wishes. Make your voice heard.
Already, a key state Senate committee is on board. Last week the Natural Resources and Water Committee voted 6-1 to send a bill recognizing the importance of saving the lake. If more of us act now, while the issue winds its way through the Legislature, more and more legislators will understand that we care.
This critical issue will stay in the legislative spotlight through the month of May. That's why now is the right time to act.
There is something for everyone to do because everyone will pay the price if the
Everyone should stand up and be counted.
We will do our part. We shed light on this critical issue with a three-part series, "
And we will personally invite some of the leading and most influential citizens in our community to intervene on the sea's behalf.
We will follow up and let you know who has taken up our call for action and is fighting for the sea. We will also let you know who chooses to remain silently on the sidelines.
The sea is expected to lose half its water supply within 10 years. A smaller sea leaves exposed lake bed, which results in far more dust in the air.
Keep in mind what happened at
Shame on all of us if we let that happen here.
How to do it
We know there will still be a lot of haggling over the best way to restore the sea. The state has a tentative plan, which remains the subject of great debate. As that debate takes place, we must convince legislators that it's worth investing billions of dollars to save the Salton Sea, which, in its heyday, attracted more visitors than the
We have the power to breathe new life into the
"This is a meaty issue," says Bill Powers, a community member, who participates on this editorial board. "How often do we have such an inclusive issue? This affects everyone, and there is a lot of power in that, but everyone has to step up to the plate."
How up in arms would
There are a multitude of money-producing attractions around the state that would hurt an entire region if they were allowed to die off.
The Salton Sea protects the environment of the
Pick up the phone. This is worth fighting for. #
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704290333
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