WSP12624 ‎(2)‎

• File Number: 8220.101.10
• Description: Colorado River Water Projects - Glen Canyon Dam-Lake Powell - Adaptive Management
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 3/1/1997
• Author: CA Dept of Water Resources
• Title: California Water Plan - Volume 1-Number 4 - March 1997 - 03-01-97
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, in-
cluding some species whose diets are
based exclusively on the ,fish in the sea.
Wetlands near the sea and adjoining culti-
vated agricultura11ands offer tl}e avian
population a mix of habitat types and
food sources. An area at the sea's south
end'was established as a National Wildlife _
Refuge in 1930, although most of that
area is now underwater as a result of the
sea's rising elevation.

Some of the 380 bird species wintering in
the area include pelicans. herons, egrets,
cranes, cormorants. ibises, ducks;-grebes,
falcons, plovers, avocets, sandpipers, and
'gulls. [During their visit, Bulletin 160 Ad-
visory Committee'members were fortunate
to,see a flamingo, a species
seen only occasionally in the
, ,
wild in California.] ,The Salton
Sea is considered to be a ma-
jor stopover point for birds mi-
grating on the Pacific Flyway.
" .
and has the second highest
bird diversity of refuges in the
federal system.
, ,
Resource Management Issues

Historically, salinity has
been the water quality constit-
uent of most concer:n at the
sea. Present 1ev~ls are about
44,000 ppm IDS (seawater.is
about 35;000 ppm TDS). This
high level of salinity reflect~
. long-term evaporation and
concentration of salts found in-
its inflow. Selenium has been
a more recent constituent of
I
interest. due to its implica-
tions for aquatic species. Al-
though selenium levels in the
water column in the sea are
less than the federal criteria of
-5 ug/1, criteria are

."

exceeded in seabed sediment and in influ- .
ent agricultural drainage water. .

Agricultural drain flows also contribute
significant nutrient loading to the sea.
which supports large algal blooms at
some-'"times of the year. These algal
, ,
blooms have contributed to ,odor prob-
1eIl).s and low disso1v~d oxygen levels in
sOIl1e areas of the sea.

Over the long term, the sea',,\,e1evation
has gradually tncreased, going from a low
on the order of -250 in the 1920s to its
present level of about -226 feet. The sea's
maximum elevation in recent years was
-225.9 in 1995. Since some shoreline
areas are relatively flat, a small change in
- ele~ation can result in a large difference
in the extent of shoreline submerged.

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3

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Roadrunners are one of the bird species found in the Salton
Sea area.