{
  "id": "RL31820",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31820",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 347344,
      "date": "2004-05-26",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:15:11.637767",
      "title": "Overview of Management and Restoration Activities in the Salton Sea",
      "summary": "The Salton Basin in southern California has supported many lakes and water bodies throughout its geological history. The most recent inland water body in the Basin is the Salton Sea, which was created from a levee break in 1905. The Salton Sea is the largest inland water body in California. In the past several decades the salinity of the Sea has been increasing, and is now considered a significant threat to the health of the current Salton Sea ecosystem. Ecosystem changes in the Sea were exemplified by several large die-offs of fish and birds that inhabit the Sea. Some of these events included endangered species such as the brown pelican.\nThe Sea receives most of its water from agricultural drainage originating in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys in California. When water transfers from agricultural lands in these valleys to municipal water districts in San Diego were proposed to reduce California\u2019s reliance on water from the Colorado River, concerns about the environmental impacts of these transfers on the Sea surfaced. The proposed water transfers would have resulted in less water flowing into the Salton Sea, which according to some scientists would increase the rate of evaporation in the Sea so that salinity levels would be lethal to most fish and wildlife in less than 10 years.\nInterest in restoring the Salton Sea was evident before its role in water transfers was realized. Several studies were done by state and federal agencies to determine baseline data about the Sea and potential management regimes for restoring the Sea. Federal efforts to study the Sea were amplified with the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 (Title XI of P.L. 102-575), which authorizes research to develop plans to control salinity, provide habitat to endangered species, enhance fisheries, and protect recreational values in the Salton Sea. Federal restoration efforts were formally initiated by The Salton Sea Recovery Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-372). This act authorizes feasibility studies and economic analyses of various options for restoring the Salton Sea. Prospects for funding restoration in the Sea improved when legislation containing provisions that would allocate an estimated $300 million for restoring the Salton Sea was enacted by the State of California.\nWhether or not to restore the Salton Sea remains controversial. Some who favor restoration argue that the value of the Sea is high because it is one of the remaining wetland habitats in the region for migratory birds, fish, and wildlife. Further, some argue that the Sea has potential for economic development, recreation, and tourism. Some against restoring the Sea believe that the Sea is destined to evaporate similar to the water bodies in the Salton Basin that preceded it (i.e., that the Sea is a lake in natural decline). In addition, some critics suggest that the Sea is too expensive to restore, and scientifically sound plans for restoration are not available.\nThis report provides a summary of management and restoration events in the Salton Sea and will be updated as developments warrant.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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}