USA, California:

Once Again, Officials Urge Action on Salton Sea (Desert Sun)

The GRC promotes geothermal energy as a solution to many of the problems

Representatives from Riverside and Imperial counties met in Sacramento Wednesday to urge state water officials to create — and finally fund — a Salton Sea restoration plan before it is too late.

After more than a decade of in-fighting and litigation, Imperial County and the Imperial Irrigation District presented a petition to the State Water Resources Control Board that calls upon its members to twist the arm of California and serve as the mediator to at least 10 government agencies.

For more than five hours, they made the case that environmental, economic and physiological problems will await more than just Riverside and Imperial counties when the drying up of California’s largest lake accelerates in two years, exacerbated by the drought.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering several pilot projects, including the use of low-pressure geothermal technology to reclaim super salty water and create a new habitat for fish. Another would drain the area of Red Hill Bay and create a bird habitat.

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