|
<br />
<br />
<br />stclbilizi:figfheSea
<br />
<br />.; . .
<br />, In 19~6,thEnmperial IrrigationPistrict
<br />\joirledagroll,piof,20 interestetfagencies,to fo~ the, "
<br />Salton sea TaskForce, with the goal of finding 'a '
<br />. workable plan to stabilize the elevation and salinity
<br />,()f th~ Salton Sea; The Task Force waS,organized
<br />'":un<ier, tl:leCalifornia ~~sotir~esA~ency a~the"
<br />,9it'ectiOtl QftheGdyernor .()f CaUf~rrUa."
<br />, \Thes~teWi4egtoupstudie4solar pcmq.
<br />, ,.Jecnnolt?gyiPuxn~~t fa~i1~~es,anddiked ~-
<br />.' ,',poUI\dm~nts,atnongoth~roptions, along with
<br />I.'po~ible funding sources., '.
<br />. .- ,,' 'I1ie Imperial Irri~ation District, together,
<br />wi.thth~ Countyc)flmperialanda private,como:
<br />'~p,hly)Orinat Engineering, jointly funded a, prelimi-
<br />.'..pary study m) 98S.'andfound'that. using p~mp-
<br />,otit/evClpqration/solar POn4 tecJmology to control
<br />"<elevationand'salinitymay })efeasible,.but costly.
<br />. TheDistricf~wotIqngwiththe U.S. Fish &
<br />"'WildlifeService to develoPtnarslt lands for water
<br />, 'iqualityimprove~lltan4to provide habitat for
<br />, \ endang~ted' species along the Salton Sea., "
<br />.' , In 1993, the Salton Se~Authoritywas
<br />" :forn'\(~cl'undera Joint P()Wers Agreement between
<br />';'theCO\u1tiesofbriperial ~t\q Riverside, lID and
<br />the Coachella ValleYWatergrstrict. The group was
<br />organized to work;with the, State of California, the
<br />federal governmentang' the Republic of Mexico to
<br />develop,; programs that will ensure continued '
<br />beneficial uses oftl1eSalton Sea. Federal funding Is
<br />~eingsought for the ~)fg(lnizatioriandany pro:-
<br />grams .it implement$;
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />. -.- '. "" "- .-" -" .- ~--." ~- -.'..' '-.> -. -, '.. - --.;.- '.._,.. "::,,<';..' --"-.'
<br />BackgrQ:und,\ contin'Q.ed~;
<br />
<br />inllabited,the'sl\orelin~~ can still b~seen.idon8'the'
<br />mountains to. the wes~ oUhe northerly end .of,., '
<br />Salton Sea '~in the sand dunes ~oward GJanUs~.
<br />The sink was dry whenconst.mction of the '
<br />Iin~rial Canal was completed by, the'ealifOfnia
<br />Development Company, in 190). Th~ Canal, di-, ,
<br />verted waterforirrigatic;mtrqm the Colorado River,~
<br />justupstreaD)of the Mexican Bor<ier.'After about
<br />four years"silt deposits led to' an attempt to reJ.a:-,'
<br />cate the;diversion a short distance downstream
<br />from tneborderinMexico. '
<br />Unusual winter floods breached. the diver...
<br />s,'ion structure in 1905. Fa.r l5 Jrtonths the 'entire
<br />, .
<br />
<br />flow oUheColotado..Riverpoured tfuougli:
<br />Mexicalian<i Imperial valleys into the Salton Sink, ,
<br />tmeateningdestnlction of farming and the home-.
<br />steadS of sev~ral thousand families~
<br />, ,After arduous 'and expensiv~work, the
<br />river break was finally closed. in the spring of 1907.
<br />The reestablished lake wClS named $altonSea.
<br />Since the initial flood of Colorado River
<br />water, the Salton Sea has beensustained byagri-
<br />cultural drainage from the Imperial, Coachella and
<br />Mexicali valleys, rainfall, storm runoff from the
<br />. surrounding mountains and groundwater inflow.
<br />. Because the Sea exists in a closed basin, the only
<br />outflow is'evaporation.
<br />
<br />~1994
<br />
<br />~ .11D ~se6 recyckdptlper '
<br />
|