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EXPLAINED: Salton sea - The Real Truth

Salton Sea Wetland Expansion: California floods exposed lakebed; dust and habitat get joint fix

In an effort to revive wetland ecosystems, California's East Pond Expansion project is making strides. This initiative not only seeks to create suitable habitats for various fish and bird species but also aims to mitigate dust pollution originating from the Salton Sea's exposed sediments, which has been linked to respiratory…

The Times of India · Oct 11

Near the Salton Sea, Little League Players Struggle to Breathe

Pediatric asthma is common in Calipatria, where young athletes compete despite extreme heat and air pollution. Some worry a lithium boom could make things worse.

Capital & Main · Jul 24

Beneath California's Salton Sea lies 3.4 million tons of lithium, potentially enough to build 375 million electric-vehicle batteries

California's Salton Sea holds immense lithium reserves, potentially ending foreign dependence for electric vehicle batteries. This discovery offers enough lithium to build over 375 million electric vehicle batteries. Direct Lithium Extraction technology can efficiently pull lithium from geothermal brine. This process uses existing infrastructure and significantly reduces water consumption. Developing…

The Economic Times · Jul 24

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Toxic dust from California’s shrinking Salton Sea is harming children’s lung growth – our study tracked the impact in 700 kids

Southern California’s Salton Sea was once a resort playground, with sunny beaches, celebrities and people waterskiing on the vast inland lake in the 1950s and ’60s.

The Conversation · Apr 3

A Modern Gold Rush Emerges in California And One 40-Acre Property Sits at the Center of It

Amid the growing attention surrounding the Salton Sea sits a parcel of land that places buyers directly within the unfolding opportunity. The property spans 40 acres in Riverside County, positioned along the northern edge of the Salton Sea in an area known for geothermal activity and mineral-rich underground brine.

International Business Times · Mar 30

California’s drying Salton Sea harms the lungs of people living nearby, say researchers

Experts suspect that dust from the sea contains endotoxic bacteria membranes caused by fertilizer runoff

The Guardian - US · Nov 9, 2025

Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?

Imperial County consistently ranks among the most economically distressed places in California. Its Salton Sea, the state’s biggest and most toxic lake, is an environmental disaster. And the region’s politics have been dominated by a conservative white elite, despite its supermajority Latino population.

The Conversation · Sep 26, 2024

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Inside the Quest To Uncover the Culprit Behind A Lung Disease Brewing Near A California Lake

Scientists have long understood there to be a connection between the dust and the region around the Salton Sea's poor respiratory health.

Inverse · Aug 30, 2024

‘I’ll run until there’s no sea left’: the gas mask-wearing ultramarathoner circling the Salton Sea

The California landmark is shrinking, exposing a toxic lakebed that threatens neighbors. ‘Irondad’ is running 92 miles to highlight the crisis

The Guardian - US · Mar 17, 2024

California Has Enough Lithium Reserves To Power Over 300 Million EV Batteries

The U.S. Department of Energy said the lithium reserves in the Salton Sea provide a "once-in-a-generation-opportunity."

InsideEVs · Feb 13, 2024

Salton Sea's Lithium Treasure Trove Set To Turbocharge EV Battery Production

Lithium-rich geothermal brines in the Imperial Valley contain enough lithium to make 1 electric vehicle for each U.S. citizen.

International Business Times · Nov 29, 2023

Salton Sea eyed for lithium extraction

As companies with billionaire backing buy in, frontline communities weigh the economics with health and environment

Salon · Sep 7, 2023

Scientists warned of Salton Sea disaster

Since '90s, many scientists had been calling for a comprehensive, integrated science program at the lake

Salon · Jul 7, 2023

An ambitious plan could help repair one of California’s biggest ecological catastrophes

Without intervention, the sea’s entire ecosystem could collapse.

Inverse · Jan 16, 2023

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The Conversation · Jan 10, 2023

Human actions created the Salton Sea, California's largest lake – here's how to save it from collapse, protecting wild birds and human health

The Salton Sea spreads across a remote valley in California’s lower Colorado Desert, 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the Mexican border. For birds migrating along the Pacific coast, it’s an avian Grand Central Station. In midwinter tens of thousands of snow geese, ducks, pelicans, gulls and other species forage on…

Los Angeles Times · Nov 29, 2022

US government pledges $250 million to help ailing Salton Sea

LOS ANGELES — The Biden administration has announced a plan to provide $250 million to accelerate environmental projects around the shrinking Salton Sea, helping to revitalize its ecosystems and control hazardous dust in a deal that will clear the way for California to take less water from the drought-ravaged Colorado…

The Independent UK · Nov 29, 2022

Drying California lake to get $250M in drought funding

The federal government says it will spend $250 million over four years on environmental cleanup and restoration work around a drying Southern California lake that's fed by the depleted Colorado River

Tribune News Service · Nov 6, 2022

Tensions rise over drought-stricken Colorado River water use

WASHINGTON — As the Interior Department continues to delay implementing a program to reduce water consumption from the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin, tensions are thickening between the seven states with stakes in the watershed.

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Roll Call · Nov 3, 2022

Tensions rise over drought-stricken Colorado River water use - Roll Call

As the Interior Department considers how to reduce water consumption from the Colorado River Basin, tensions are rising in western states.

The Independent UK · Oct 26, 2022

Arizona's Kelly hits California on Colorado River use

Communities around California's shrinking Salton Sea are at the center of the latest spat between Arizona and California over how to conserve Colorado River water

Los Angeles Times · Oct 10, 2022

Commentary: Restore the Salton Sea not to its former size but to its role in the ecosystem

California’s largest inland body of water is in trouble. Inflows to the Salton Sea have decreased, salinity is growing, the ecosystem is collapsing, and neighboring communities are suffering high rates of respiratory illnesses caused, many believe, by contaminants in dust blowing off the exposed former seabed.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 6, 2022

As Salton Sea faces ecological collapse, a plan to save it with ocean water is rejected

LOS ANGELES — For as long as the Salton Sea has faced the threat of ecological collapse, some local residents and environmentalists have advocated a radical cure for the deteriorating lake: a large infusion of ocean water.

Los Angeles Times · Aug 11, 2022

Sinema’s last-minute push on Democrats’ climate bill added $4 billion to combat Western drought

WASHINGTON — When Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer landed a surprise agreement on a health care, climate and tax bill last month, all but one Senate Democrat accepted the deal rather than risk collapse with further negotiation.

Daily Mirror · Jul 9, 2022

Idyllic lake resort now nightmarish town filled with toxic air and deadly dust

The region along the west coast of the USA was once a thriving tourist spot but now the people living there have to endure 'repugnant' odours and stock up on inhalers

Benzinga · Jul 1, 2022

California Goes Ahead With Lithium Tax Despite Protests From EV Suppliers

California has approved a plan to tax the electric vehicle battery metal lithium to generate revenue for environmental remediation projects, Reuters reports. The tax is structured as a flat-rate per tonne and will go into effect in January. Funds generated from the tax will help restore the Salton Sea region from…

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