More Funding, More Habitat Improvement through Expanded Salton Sea Restoration Project

A group of people wearing hard hats and vests toss dirt from a shovel ceremony at the Salton Sea.

SALTON SEA –Today, the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) announced the expansion of a restoration project at the south end of the Salton Sea that will help protect regional air quality and support wildlife. Secretary for Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot and Deputy Secretary Samantha Arthur alongside state and federal officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project site.


The expansion of the SCH Project represents a multi-agency collaboration to address the ecological challenges facing the Salton Sea. The commitments made by the federal and state government, as well as from regional agencies, enabled the addition of 750 acres to the project’s footprint. This unprecedented support helps set the current project footprint at nearly 5,000 acres with the potential to expand to around 8,000 acres.


In December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation granted the State $70 million to begin the expansion of the SCH Project through the Inflation Reduction Act. The funding is a portion of the $250 million in federal funding commitments announced in 2022. In August, action to facilitate land access for project implementation and provide $175 million of the federal funding was announced to accelerate the State’s Salton Sea restoration efforts. The SSMP Team is planning to direct this additional federal funding towards further expansion of the SCH Project and other projects in planning. To date, California has committed over $500 million in state funding for Salton Sea planning and projects.


Located at the south end of the Salton Sea, near the community of Westmorland, the Project aims to restore ecological value at the Salton Sea and help protect regional air quality by:
Creating a network of ponds and wetlands;
Providing habitat for fish and birds that visit the Salton Sea;
Suppressing dust within the project area.

“Our largest project at the Salton Sea to suppress dust and restore habitat is getting bigger,” said Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency. “The Biden-Harris Administration and our Congressional delegation delivered major funding to get this done, and it’s another step forward at the Sea. I’m proud of our partnerships and progress, while we all know much more work lies ahead.”
The groundbreaking ceremony was followed by a tour of the SCH Project, where invitees had the opportunity to see the expansion area and major project features.


“For years, my constituents have shared their concerns about the harmful impacts of the Salton Sea. As a physician in Congress, I have been committed to addressing this ongoing public health and environmental crisis,” said Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D.(CA-25). “Thanks to our partnership with the Biden-Harris administration and the $4 billion secured through the Inflation Reduction Act to stabilize the Colorado River Basin, we are bringing vital resources to our communities that will protect the health, environment, and economy of our region.”


“The Species Conservation Habitat Expansion is a critical component in addressing the environmental and air quality challenges of the Salton Sea. By expanding what is one of the largest conservations engineering projects in the Country, this project will continue to play a crucial role in mitigating the environmental impact of the receding sea by expanding habitat for fish and birds while also suppressing dust emission so as to protect the surrounding communities,” said State Senator Steve Padilla. “This is a testament of what is possible when we put the resources needed for conservation efforts at the Salton Sea and with the passage of SB 583, to create a Salton Sea Conservancy, we can now sustain and accelerate California’s conservation efforts with local input as to how future funding should be prioritized and spent.”


“As the Salton Sea lakebed recedes, toxic dust is contaminating air quality and threatening the stability of the local ecosystem,” said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. “The $250 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding we secured for the Salton Sea Management Program is essential not only to protect public health in surrounding communities, but to restore the habitat of the abundant aquatic and avian wildlife in the region. Today’s exciting groundbreaking of the Species Conservation Habitat Project expansion will expand critical wetland habitat and improve air quality around the hazardous exposed lakebed.”


“With the State of California’s leadership, we have delivered historic investments to protect our Salton Sea communities. With over $500 million in state funding secured and the possibility of more soon on the horizon, we welcome Biden-Harris support and applaud this opportunity to break ground on a project with our federal partners. We celebrate this milestone and look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate and accelerate the actions needed to bring environmental, ecological, economic, and public health relief to the Salton Sea region,” said Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella).


“California’s commitment to protecting the Colorado River by conserving 1.6 million acre-feet under the Lower Basin Plan would not have been possible without the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration and Commissioner Touton,” said JB Hamby, Chairman for the Colorado River Board of California. “Their historic $250 million investment in California’s Species Conservation Habitat — the largest ever for Salton Sea restoration — marks a turning point. Together, these efforts protect both the Colorado River and the Salton Sea.”


For more information about the SCH Project and groundbreaking ceremony, please visit www.saltonsea.ca.gov or contact Miguel Hernández at (916) 213-8616 or email Miguel.hernandez@resources.ca.gov.

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