Press Release

July 21, 2000

LA QUINTA—The Salton Sea Authority is seeking to construct a series of small solar evaporation ponds to evaluate their potential in reducing salinity of the Salton Sea.

The Authority board Thursday (July 20, 2000) authorized hiring a contractor to do the work.

The ponds will be constructed along the shore of the lake near the Imperial County community of Niland.

Parsons Engineering recommended the solar ponds after an independent evaluation of the Salton Sea restoration alternatives last spring. Similar ponds are used in the salt manufacturing industry.

“While Parsons didn’t find any ‘fatal flaws’ in any of our alternatives, they did recommend that we explore the potential of solar ponds as a potential preferred alternative,” said board president Tom Veysey, a member of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.

“Construction of the test ponds will allow us to evaluate whether these can be used on a larger scale,” said Veysey. “The exciting thing is that we are moving from studies to projects that actually will remove some salt and give us some firm answers.”

According to Tom Kirk, Salton Sea Authority executive director, solar ponds have been used for years by the salt industry. “This is part of our continuing efforts to tap the expertise of private industry,” he said. “They are a proven technology—why not try them on the Salton Sea?”

Private industry may offer answers to other problems afflicting the Salton Sea.

The Authority is also seeking companies interested in examining commercial uses for the lake’s flourishing Tilapia population. Fish harvesting has been proposed as one of the ways to restore the Salton Sea. It will assist in nutrient removal and create a healthier Tilapia population, thereby reducing the size of the annual die offs.

The solar ponds will be the second large-scale salt removal test project to be located on the shores of the lake. In May, the Authority board also approved a six-month evaluation of an enhanced evaporation system at the former U.S. Navy Test Base on the west shore of Salton Sea.

That pilot project will allow the Authority to gather scientific data on whether such a system--commonly used in the mining industry--is both economically and environmentally feasible at the Salton Sea.

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