Governors Briefs: Salton Sea Restoration and Support for Updated Delta Conveyance Proposal

California Gets $70 Million in Federal Funding to Accelerate Salton Sea Restoration

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom Dec. 8 highlighted the first major federal investment coming to California to accelerate the state’s ongoing work to restore the Salton Sea through efforts that enhance wildlife habitat, protect public health and improve water quality at the lake.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced Dec. 7 that $70 million in federal funding is being transferred to the state’s Salton Sea management program, the first tranche of funding from a $250 million federal commitment announced last year to accelerate dust suppression and aquatic habitat projects at the Salton Sea. California has committed more than $500 million in state funding for Salton Sea projects to date.

California’s largest inland water body, the Salton Sea has shrunk in recent years due to reduced inflows, resulting in exposed lakebed that releases small dust particles that worsen air quality in the Imperial Valley, a region already burdened by poor air quality. The reduced water levels and increased salinity also negatively impact habitat for wildlife, including birds traveling the Pacific flyway.

The $70 million will be used to expand the state’s species conservation habitat project, which is creating a network of ponds and wetlands over 4,000 acres to provide fish and bird habitat and suppress dust emissions. This federal funding will enable the expansion of the project at the southern edge of the sea.

An additional $2 million in federal funding was announced for the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians to expand the tribe’s technical capacity by funding positions entrusted with supporting Salton Sea project implementation. 

California Natural Resources Agency leaders joined officials from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and other members of the Salton Sea coordinating committee in Imperial County yesterday to celebrate the historic funding. 

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Salton-Sea-Federal-Funding 

Gov. Newsom Reaffirms Support for Updated Delta Conveyance Proposal

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom today reaffirmed his support for the redesigned Delta Conveyance Project proposal, highlighting how critical the project is to protect millions of people’s water access against the threats of climate change. Since day one, the Governor pledged to right-size this project to one tunnel and embrace an all-of-the-above approach to protecting California’s water access.

California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply due to hotter and drier conditions, threatening the water supply for millions of Californians. Extreme weather whiplash will result in more intense swings between droughts and floods – California’s 60-year-old water infrastructure is not built for these climate impacts. During January’s atmospheric rivers, the Delta Conveyance Project could have captured enough water for 2.3 million people’s yearly usage.

The redesigned Delta Conveyance Project would capture and move more water during wet seasons to better endure dry seasons. The tunnel, a modernization of the infrastructure system that delivers water to millions of people, would improve California’s ability to take advantage of intense periods of rain and excess flows in the Sacramento River. It would also help protect against the risk of an earthquake cutting off water supplies to millions of Californians, currently a 72% chance of 6.7+ magnitude in the area.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Delta-Conveyance-Project