Restoring the Salton Sea: An in-depth look at lithium, wetlands and the 10-year plan

[Music] thank you for joining us I'm Olivia sandeski the sutan sea is a beautiful yet incredibly complicated body of water while it's easy to focus on its many problems tonight our goal is to highlight the work that's being done to address them and to showcase the important role that it plays there are several groups working around the sea project by project aiming to solve this environmental and Health crisis that impacts Neighbors in the Coachella and Imperial valleys so throughout this half hour tonight you'll learn a brief history of how the sea formed and how it became toxic discover the vital role it plays for migrating Wildlife dive into the world of lithium water use and local volcanoes analyze the state's 10-year plan to restore the sea and look to the future with the planned return of boats and Recreation but before we get into all of that let's start with what most people know about the sea so I know that the sea is a place that is endangered that it's toxic it's got a very strange odor it's an environmental danger even to the Coachella area unfortunately brings a lot of uh bad odor to the area but I know it has a great potential oh yes that Infamous odor that's all due to its chemical makeup and while it may be an inconvenience at times for some communities for others it's a health risk as those chemicals are linked to respiratory issues so to begin tonight we hear from community members and local scientists about the current state of the salt and sea and we learn about projects aiming to mitigate its impacts so what do we need to build here is is the main question that I'm asking you all today and to answer that I want to take you all on a just a tiny little walk Coachella Valley native Dr Ryan Sinclair leads a tour of the salt and Northshore as an environmental microbiologist he's been working alongside the community to help address an ongoing Health crisis one of the environmental challenges out here is the Salan SE and some of the contaminants and some of the um public health issues and uncertainties that are around that some of those contaminants are being connected to respiratory issues in a study by the University of Southern California researchers found about 22% of children living near The Salted sea were diagnosed with asthma it's almost three times the national rate and while what's causing asthma to develop is still being researched discoveries are being made about what triggers reactions in October of 2023 Dr Sinclair and the nonprofit alanza Coachella Valley installed an air quality sensor at the North End of the sea to monitor pollutants there they discovered the presence of several toxins so sulfur actually is in the salt and sea and because of uh a chain of events that has to do with nutrients in the salt and sea you get hydrogen sulfide gases coming out definitely when you have a huge amount of H2S coming out that could be an asthma trigger hydrogen sulfide is also the source of the strong egg smell that's coming from the water which gets stronger over the summer months and the gas isn't just impacting nearby cities it can have a far-reaching effect there's obviously historical events where you've smelt hydr sulfide even as far as away as Los Angeles the sensor detected nitrogen dioxide and ground level ozone at the sea as well which are known to reduce lung function and trigger a variety of health problems impacting the asthma riddled community and for locals the new information is valuable as these issues affect their quality of life maybe I should say I'm used to it so I know when to stay indoors it is bad though it would be nice if we could find some way to keep it down children you know are kind of when we have these dust storms are stuck inside because they have asthma and so they'll like any little like dust in their face will maybe um activate a reaction leads to trauma it leads them to not be able to go to school the soil around the sea can also affect air quality as it turns into toxic dust the Alianza team is currently advocating for a 2 and 1 half mile multi-use Pathway to help mitigate those effects part of that project will include a peer like this the rest will link communities here around the salt and sea connecting the NorthShore here to the yacht club and then on to the state park portions would also be paved or have a pedestrian bridge and shade and added vegetation are also key elements tied down and while the trail will be used for recreation aliana's executive director says it has a dual purpose it's also about how does a trail keep down dust do we introduce um revation um how do we create environments where people can be protected the proposal is being presented to the county and the Coachella Valley Association of governments and as a thermal resident herself Sylvia believes these smaller scale projects can make a big difference the stakes are personally high as our daughters um our son is growing and projects like the one we're advancing meets all the check marks uh and yes it will take time again because I think we just haven't had planning um dollars to invested here for projects like this together the groups continue to monitor the sensor to provide communities with even more information and neighbors say these efforts are needed to continue restoring the salt and sea knowing that there's something good happening to the salt sea is beyond my wildest dreams humans aren't the only ones being impacted by chemicals in the sea Wildlife is also dealing with its effects as the salt and sea is an extremely important re resource for migrating birds so after the break we'll learn more about the developing Wetlands that are home to thousands of water birds and what groups are doing to support them we also take a look back to the beginning of the salt and sea that's all coming up in just a few [Music] minutes welcome back before the salt and sea formed the prehistoric Lake WEA covered the region the lake existed in several stages over the last 2,000 years eventually disappearing in the 1500s forming the fertile Coachella and Imperial valleys well a few hundred years later in 1905 a levy at the Colorado River burst water returned to the dry lake bed creating the much smaller salt and sea after the levy was fixed it cut off the flow of fresh water to the Sea meaning it's gradually shrinking and becoming more polluted but in a welcome surprise new ecosystems are also forming and local groups are working to protect them this is all going to turn that beautiful pink purple layer called the belt of Venus it's sunrise at the sunny Bono salt and sea National Wildlife Refuge coyotes Trot along burms in a pack a snowy egret and white face Ibis Forge for food and in the distance thousands of snow geese take off at first light traveling as a noisy flock to a near nearby agriculture field look at that you guys award-winning wildlife photographer pet donellan captures life at the Seas managed Wetlands it's my therapy we share this planet with these wonderful animals and birds and just to be here with them and watch them is just it's very peaceful for me these water birds are part of about 400 species who call the sea home for the winter the water serves as one of the only available resting points in the area during their migration along the Pacific Flyway look at the cranes and pette enjoys sharing images from their stop at the Wildlife Refuge this is absolutely my one of my favorite spots to shoot there's a cute little green heron that hangs out here that I love to photograph there's Great Blue herand by the way 70% of the burrowing owl population in California lives down here at the saltan sea those burrowing owls have babies and that's the best time to watch this Lively Refuge sits at the southern border of the sultan sea at 343 square miles it's roughly 3 and a half times the size of Palm Springs however it's also toxic as its primary water source is chemical heavy runoff from nearby farms and recent water restrictions in evaporation have caused the sea to lose a third of its water Mass creating polluted water and soil which poses as a health threat and leads to a decline in wildlife habitat to understand just how far the water has receded we're hundreds of yards away from the shore and the sand is filled with nothing but seashells now however there is one positive change that's taking place as the water shrinks it's leaving behind thousands of Acres of natural Wetlands unlike most of the man-made Refuge which is flooded by water from Imperial Irrigation District these wetlands are created by runoff and underground Springs naturally occurring Wetlands began to spring up by um the growing of of plants like Cattails and other bull rushes a lot of natural wetlands have been lost due to development and so any Wetlands that can be protected and conserved and managed is hugely important to to migratory bird species Jonathan Shore's team studies the impact of wetlands on the community aside from providing habitat he says the ecosystems are also playing an important role in reducing the amount of toxic dust that blows to nearby neighborhoods as the irrigation water flushes the baron Pia the Cattail grows the Tamarisk or salt Cedar grows and that basically stabilizes the soil so that these particulate matters that can get blown up by large wind events doesn't happen and improves the air quality these new wetlands are fragile and without support more water loss could cause them to collapse as quickly as they formed pushing migrating birds and some of their food sources like the desert pup fish to disappear that's why Jonathan's team continues to create and restore more managed areas at The Refuge including marshes open water and brackish ponds we Farm about 800 acres of Annual Ride grass like this field behind us which provides a winter food and then we manage uh a couple thousand other Acres of wetlands for other migratory Birds other projects are also underway to support life at the shrinking sea it's a large and expensive undertaking but aims to ensure that birds fish and nearby communities can rely on the habitat for years to come there is hope that the projects that are being developed are going to create habitat that will persist in the future these ecosystems are primarily dependent on runoff from the Coachella Valley and nearby Farms but as farmers are asked to conserve water it means less runoff refills the sea and now lithium extraction is expected to begin at the South and adding to water demand after the break we analyze future water use in the region and where lithium fits into the equation welcome back the outermost layer of the Earth called the crust is thin near the South End of the saltan sea in fact it's so thin it's home to multiple Hot Springs boiling mud pots and even one of the state's only active volcanoes the red island volcano one reason for the thin crust multiple fault lines run through the area and because of this heat from within the Earth plays an important role and that heat is turned into energy through geothermal plants but now a new industry wants to use those geothermal plants to recover lithium and a lot of it the department of energy says there's enough lithium at the salt and sea to create over 375 million electric vehicle batteries it's promising an economic boom in thousands of local jobs but it also comes with concerns about potential Health impacts and water demand so tonight let's look at overall water use in the Imperial Valley and who the key players are trying to go to seed right there because of the heat Jack vessie slices open a fresh head of Roma lettuce his family farm has been growing and shipping produce for over 100 years you know we always say we have our Blood Sweat and Tears out here it's not an easy job uh we take a lot of risk um so we are able to harvest our crop and see it on a store shelf it's uh a lot of Pride goes into that as well vessie and Company sits in the heart of the Imperial Valley one of the most productive agriculture regions in the country and these desert farms exist because of water provided by the Imperial Irrigation District our only water source in the Imperial alley is the Colorado River 100% uh comes to us through the All-American Canal it flows into the Imperial Valley through the IID system with about 400 farms in the area the Imperial Valley consumed more Colorado River water than all of Nevada and Arizona combined in 2022 but in the past few years Farmers have been asked to conserve the resour source and Jack says future Cuts will impact production currently 100% of the vegetables we grow now are under sprinkler what's called overhead irrigation from germination to harvest and I'm not sure with what we grow how much more water we can save I think we're doing a hell of a job right now um you know I think the main thing for us is really Water Management conservation can also impact the nearby salt and sea as agriculture runoff is its main source of water less runoff means newly formed Wetlands around the sea could dry up eliminating a critical wildlife habitat and affecting the Region's already poor air quality as nearby cities would be exposed to even more toxic dust and now some community members have shared concerns as a new major industry adds to water demand in January controlled thermal resources broke ground on the Valley's first lithium extraction facility which will be combined with geothermal plants that already exist at the sea this is the seaw wall it borders the south end here of the salt and sea but if you look just across the road you'll find multiple geothermal plants that are already in action for decades geothermal plants have used hot brine or extremely salty water from below Earth's surface to create energy in the future lithium will be extracted from the brine for battery manufacturing and just like nearby agriculture water for processing lithium will be supplied by IID with with the new demand some Advocates have concerns about exceeding freshwater allotments in the desert others worry that water could be diverted from farms to support lithium but IID says there's currently room for both Industries they thought of these things uh several years ago and so they set aside What's called the interim water supply policy we set aside 25,000 acre feet a year for non egg industry and of that there's like a balance 23,000 left ctr's proposal estimates they'll use about 6,500 acre feet of water annually a second developer energy source expects to use about 3,400 which fits in the interim Supply but even with those projections a recent report says the data remains uncertain on what the true water demand may be as more facilities are added however the report does outline regulations to prevent hazardous waste from entering storm drains to protect local communities and Wildlife IID board members say senior rights generally protect them from Colorado River water restrictions but as the Basin experiences a mega drought and demand continues to grow more Regional impact studies are underway and local groups say collaboration will be key to supporting the future of Industries and the health of the salt and sea they're going to use water there's ways to get them water and I think you know we could figure out a way between the IID and the water users to make that happen we're not anti-industry indry we just want to make sure it's done correctly uh and not to the sacrifice or the detriment of Agriculture so with all of this demand impacting the sea what's being done to restore it while there are many groups actively working to address the growing issues we'll meet them and we'll hear their plans coming up after the break welcome back so as you've seen tonight the salt and sea is complicated the water's polluted the soil is filled with chemicals from local farms yet it's still a key resource for wildlife throughout the past few weeks some people have asked me well why don't they just let the sea dry up that would eliminate the problems right without water it becomes a giant toxic dry lake bed and the thousands of animals who call it home would struggle to relocate experts also say due to agriculture runoff it will always exist in some form so what's being done to help the sea restoration efforts are all part of the state's 10-year plan this is the story of the miracle sea in the desert the salt and sea once known as a bustling tourist attraction the Sut and Sea's reputation has changed to a shrinking and polluted body of water due to a decline in Colorado River flow and agriculture runoff and on the Eastern Shore the once popular Resort Town Bombay beach has turned into a partially abandoned artistic Community but as the water pulls away from the town A change is taking place giving the area new life and nonprofit aabon California is working to support it there is a phenomenon happened here around the southon sea as the water from the agricultural runoffs are no longer meeting the sound sea the water has permeated through the ground creating these beautiful wetlands and arban was able to quantify over 6,000 new Acres of uh what we call emerging wetlands and this is critical because a lot of the birds use these areas for roosting nesting aan decided to expand them and create a model that can be Implement elsewhere the permitting process is expected to be finished in 2025 and a few miles down the beach more important work is underway the state's salt and sea Management program has started their third vegetation enhancement project covering a total of 1,700 Acres of exposed Shoreline with native plants stabilizing the soil and reducing toxic dust the first phase has been completed projects are aimed to enhance vegetation uh with a little less use of water uh reducing the emissions from the emissive lake bed the project here at Bombay Beach is just a small part of the 10-year plan to restore the sea in total about 30,000 Acres will be revitalized this map shows the operations that are part of the state's 10-year plan dust control efforts are in green the rest highlight the other projects that are underway way some like the 60 acre Torres Martinez Wetland have already been completed but the species conservation habitat won't be finished for at least a few years this extensive project sits at the Sea's southern end it's the state's first large scale habitat restoration effort creating a network of ponds for birds and fish this 4100 acre project it's uh about $26 million investment and recently in December the federal government supported this same project with $70 million it has a potential with this funding to expand about 1,000 Acres more the state's goal is to finish the 10-year plan by 2028 it will cost about $400 million to complete but a lack of funding for certain projects has delayed timelines sometimes for years another challenge collaboration of land owners the salt and sea is divided up like a complex checker board with the state owning less than 2% from working in collaboration with so many different entities working with many different Regulators who is doing what when how and as these conversations take time toxic dust from the sea continues to impact air quality for those living in the area to address the environmental crisis some have proposed large scale Solutions like importing ocean water but that idea was rejected by a state panel now Frank believes it's time for the groups involved to look for Less water-based solutions to find answers Beyond 2028 and with that I mean that using very little water whatever is available and maximize it they need to ramp up you know the efforts to make sure you know they cover the P they provide more habitat um so the clock is ticking there's another project that's on the 10-year plan map that we have not discussed tonight and this one aims to bring back boating and Recreation to the salt and sea so what will that look like that's coming up after the break in the 1950s and 60s boating jet skiing and fishing were all activities taking place on the salt and sea well now they could be making a comeback it's called the North Lake pilot demonstration project and proposals show Riverside County would create a 10-ft burm that would create a wall at the North edge of the sea then 160 Acres would be flooded with water from the Coachella Valley water district to be managed and kept separate while also creating new habitats for birds and fish this almost $2 million project is being funded by prop 68 and is still in the early planning stage with boating and activities like kayaking returning to the salt and sea it may begin to look like its former self again but there are many underlying issues that still need to be addressed and with so many projects underway it's an important year for the water and for nearby by communities as they work to restore the salt and sea and you'll be able to find the latest developments right here on NBC Palm Springs good night

Channel: NBC Palm Springs

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Id: JpwcNzEBxqQ

Length: 22min 38sec (1358 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 17 2024