Monday, January 11, 2016

USA, California: Progress to Restoration Could Include Geothermal Energy Opportuniites

Salton Sea: Is Inland lake on road to revival? (Press-Enterprise)

More progress has been made toward restoring the Salton Sea in the past year than in the entire decade before.

Last week when Gov. Jerry Brown released his proposed 2016-2017 budget, it included an unprecedented $80 million for projects at the ailing lake and 17 positions dedicated to Salton Sea work.

A couple of days before, the state water board gathered input on efforts to revive the Salton Sea, which faces environmental devastation from shrinking inflows.

And at Red Hill Bay on the lake’s eastern bank, work continues on the first significant rehab project, which will improve bird habitat and quell some of the toxic dust blowing from the exposed shoreline.

The Salton Sea Restoration & Renewable Energy Initiative, by the Imperial Irrigation District and Imperial County, would combine habitat with geothermal and other renewable energy projects on exposed lake bed to reduce blowing dust, and use the revenue from leases to help fund future restoration efforts.

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