RivCo Forges Compact with Imperial County to Protect Salton Sea

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - Riverside County supervisors Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding with Imperial County establishing a collaborative approach to preserving and restoring the shrinking Salton Sea.

"This has been a long time coming," said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who added that the agreement is an acknowledgement of the "legacy" of Supervisor John J. Benoit, who spent years as a legislator and supervisor working on measures to ensure the sea's longevity.

Benoit died in December 2016, and Perez was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to fill his seat, representing the county's Fourth District.

The MOU between the two counties spells out a number of mutual objectives -- all geared toward maintaining as much of the 360-square- mile lake as possible.

"It is the intent of both parties to work together on agreed projects and financing mechanisms ... that would support projects and stimulate economic development around the sea," according to the compact. "The parties support the common goal of a locally managed and more efficient process to expedite projects at the Salton Sea to avert further decline."

The MOU makes clear that the Salton Sea Authority, which comprises officials from Imperial and Riverside counties, will remain the principal entity through which decision-making on changes to the site is handled, with guidance from the California Natural Resources Agency.

The counties express mutual interest in promoting ecologically friendly development, using an Enhanced Infrastructure Finance District model to incentivize investment.

The agreement further recognizes the "North Lake Vision" that Perez unveiled in January. The concept involves an in-lake barrier and levee system to create a separate half, dividing the body of water to define its boundaries in Riverside and Imperial counties. The largest portion of the Salton Sea is located in Imperial County.

Initial steps toward fortifying the land-locked sea may be facilitated by Proposition 68, approved by voters on June 5. The $4 billion bond float includes a provision that $200 million in funding be available for sea restoration projects.

According to government documents, the sea has salinity levels that are 50 percent higher than in the Pacific. The more water levels drop in the lake, the more briny the water becomes, threatening fish populations -- and the birds that feed on them.

The sea relies mainly on runoff from Imperial Valley agricultural operations for sustenance. Water reclamation efforts over the years, however, have led to ever-lower supplies, and so-called "mitigation water inflows" completely stopped in December.

If the sea were to turn into dry lake bed, state and local officials believe the environmental impacts, including the stench from exposed and dying under-sea life and billowing dust clouds, could be dramatic.

— By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock