Developers offer plans to revive Salton Sea
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By John Fleming
Special to the Chicago Tribune

March 5, 2004

SALTON CITY, Calif. -- Sandwiched between Southern California's parched Chocolate Mountains and the carpeted green of the Imperial Valley is a lake so blue it looks as though someone has squirted dye into it.

The Salton Sea looks inviting, but it won't quench your thirst. It is, as the name suggests, salty like the sea.

But decades after the sea turned this area from a bustling desert playground for the stars into a forgotten wasteland, the Salton Sea has been tossed a lifeline.

An agreement calls for the transfer of Colorado River water from Imperial Valley farmers to nearly a half-million thirsty households on the coast. The deal calls for a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the water, about $300 million, to be spent on efforts to save the sea.

"Now any agreement that takes water away from here isn't all good," says Norm Niver, 73, who has lived at the sea for 30 years. "But look, a lot of money will be coming here, not enough mind you, but a lot and some good things can happen."

Formed in 1905 when an irrigation canal on the Colorado River collapsed, the Salton Sea has no outlet and is fed almost entirely by agricultural runoff, which will be reduced significantly as a result of the deal.

Desert conditions tend to evaporate the water at a rapid clip contributing to its high salinity. The result is water that is 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Reducing inflow will make the water even saltier, further stressing the aquatic life and in turn birds and animals.

Fish-eating birds have largely disappeared, according to local biologists, and the fish are struggling.

"We used to have some big corvina and tilapia in the sea," said Al Kalin, a 55-year-old farmer, "but not anymore."

However, any notion that the Salton Sea is dead is dispelled with a boat ride on the lake.

On a recent late afternoon, wildlife biologist Tom Anderson stopped his airboat to point out masses of black-necked stilts, marbled godwits, dowitchers, sandpipers, and lots and lots of gulls.

Hopes of keeping the birds healthy and restoring the fish are driving efforts to restore the sea, and will account for a huge portion of the proceeds from the water deal.

But economic revival also drives the region and its residents. In the 1960s, the area attracted many visitors, including Hollywood celebrities such as Desi Arnaz and Johnny Weissmuller who played golf here.

Now Janna Brodie, a volunteer at the chamber of commerce, sees hope that the area can reclaim its former glory. Brodie, 79, spread out an architect's drawing of a casino and truck stop just up the road from Salton City that is in the early planning phases.

And some proposals see something more grandiose than a truck stop.

Tom Kirk, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, speaks of a full-scale restoration of the Salton Sea. After dismissing a number of proposals, including a canal to the Gulf of California that would bring in seawater, he and others are concentrating on how to maintain a smaller lake.

Kirk's ideal plan would center on creating wetlands in the shallow southern end. There also would be a dike in the middle of the sea, designed to separate the saltier part from the fresh water. The scheme is aimed at stabilizing the shoreline, maintaining the bird population and creating optimal fishing conditions. With the creation of hotels, casinos and a yacht club, the area could again attract tourists.

"There is no question that this water transfer will lower the water level in the Salton Sea. And that is going to harm the environment." he said. But with the right kind of plan and the right kind of money, Kirk said, an environmentally and economically attractive Salton Sea can again be carved out of the desert.

With a price tag in the $1 billion range, however, it is a long shot given federal and state budget constraints.

But as he sees it, the salty blue water in the desert is worth fighting for.

"I don't think you will ever see anything like the days of Desi Arnaz," Kirk said. "But there can certainly be a better future for the Salton Sea than there is now."


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