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Houston lifts boil water advisory after test samples meet safe standards

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Tuesday, November 29, 2022

The city's boil water notice had been in place since Sunday night, after a power outage at a purification plant caused water pressure to drop below acceptable levels.

The city's boil water notice had been in place since Sunday night, after a power outage at a purification plant caused water pressure to drop below acceptable levels.

The city's boil water notice had been in place since Sunday night, after a power outage at a purification plant caused water pressure to drop below acceptable levels.
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Want to understand Texas’ water crisis? Start with the guide to water terms.

Water is complex. So are the terms used to describe it. Get to know the language as Texas debates how to save its water supply.

Subscribe to The Y’all — a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state. This article is part of Running Out, an occasional series about Texas’ water crisis. Read more stories about the threats facing Texas’ water supply here. Texas legislative leaders have prioritized securing the state’s long-term water supply this year. The state is losing billions of gallons of water annually to poor infrastructure. Warmer weather is depleting the state’s reservoirs and rivers. And the state’s rapid growth — and increased energy demands — is adding considerable pressure. While the debate over solutions is just getting started at the Legislature, the most likely outcome will include asking voters to approve more money for water projects. That means you’ll hear a lot about water between now and the November election. Water is complicated, and so is its language. To better understand Texas’ water landscape, the Texas Tribune created the glossary below. Water sources Swallows fly over the Little Wichita River on Monday, May 6, 2024 in Henrietta, Texas. The proposed Lake Ringgold dam will be built on the river if a permit to construct Lake Ringgold, a reservoir the City of Wichita Falls says will help with future water needs, is approved. Residents and ranchers of Clay County say they will lose acres of their property and claim the project is unnecessary. Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune Groundwater — Water that exists underground in soil, sand and rock. Groundwater is created by precipitation, including rain and melting snow and ice that seeps into the ground. Aquifers — A body of rock or sediment underground that holds groundwater. Aquifers can be formed through many types of sediments, including gravel, sandstone, and fractured limestone. In Texas, there are nine major aquifers and 22 minor aquifers that store groundwater. Private landowners and cities access this water using wells. Recharge — An increase in the amount of water that enters an aquifer. This can occur naturally, through precipitation that seeps into the soil and moves down where water is stored. Or it can come from human-controlled methods, like redirecting water across the surface through basins or ponds, or injecting water directly through injection wells. Surface water — Any source of water that is found above ground, on the Earth’s surface. This includes saltwater in the ocean, and freshwater in rivers, streams and lakes. Surface water supplies in Texas come from 15 major river basins, eight coastal basins and more than 180 reservoirs. Water table — An underground boundary that separates the soil surface and the area where groundwater is being stored. Water management Recycled water outfall at the Steven M. Clouse Water Recycling Center in San Antonio in 2024. Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune Reservoirs — Man-made lakes that serve as big pools to hold drinking water. Most reservoirs are created by constructing dams across rivers or lakes to control water levels. The dam and gates control the amount of water that flows out of the reservoir. Reservoirs are built to hold back a certain amount of water because water levels in a river can vary over time. There are different types of reservoirs; the most common are for flood control and water conservation. Texas has 188 reservoirs that supply water to people. Dam — A barrier that stops or controls the flow of surface water. Modern-day dams are often made of concrete, though they can also be made of steel or PVC. Drought — An extended period with less than average rain, snow or ice, which impacts water levels at aquifers and reservoirs. A lack of water leads local officials to place restrictions on people’s water usage and limits agricultural production. Texas water planners use the 1950 drought as a benchmark for statewide water planning. Acre-foot — An acre-foot of water is enough to cover approximately the size of a football field to a depth of one foot. One acre-foot of water is equal to almost 326,000 gallons — enough water to last six Texans for one year. Cubic feet per second (cfs) — The rate at which water passes a specific point over a period of time. It's often used to report the flow of streams. One cfs is equal to about 450 gallons per minute. Irrigation — The application of water to crops through pipes, canals, sprinklers or drip streams. Water reuse — The process of reclaiming water from a variety of sources to treat and recycle for other purposes. Water infrastructure — Man-made systems for meeting water and wastewater needs, such as dams, wells, conveyance systems, water pipes and water treatment plants. Governance From left, Sarah Schlessinger, Texas Water Foundation, Sarah Kirkle, Texas Water Association, Heather Harward, Texas Water Supply Partners, Lara Zent, Texas Rural Water Association, Vanessa Puig-Williams, Environmental Defense Fund, and Jeremy Mazu, Texas 2036, sit on a panel during Texas Water Day at the Texas Capitol on March 3. Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune Water utility — A public or private entity that provides water directly to residents and businesses. For the majority of the utilities, an acronym is listed after the name describing the type of utility. Examples: Municipal Water Authority, Municipal Utility District, Water District and Water System. Rule of capture — The law that essentially means the first person to extract groundwater is the rightful owner of that source of water. Landowners own the water beneath them and reserve the right to pump as much water as they need. Texas governs groundwater by this rule. Groundwater conservation districts — A local or regional governing body tasked with developing and implementing management plans to conserve and protect groundwater resources. Districts try to maintain a balance between protecting property rights and protecting the water resource. Texas Water Development Board — The state agency created after an intense drought in 1950. It serves as a bank that funds water projects across the state to fix leaking pipes, flood mitigation projects and water research. Texas Water Caucus — A bipartisan group of lawmakers that focuses on prioritizing the state’s water resources at the Capitol. The caucus was established during the 2023 legislative session. It includes 74 members from the House of Representatives and one Senate member. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — A state agency that regulates air, water and waste management. This agency issues permits to businesses and people for surface water. Boil-water notice — An alert that indicates when water in a distribution system may be unsafe for consumption. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state’s environmental agency, requires that residents of the affected area boil water to help destroy harmful bacteria when they want to use it for drinking and cooking. TCEQ is also the agency that must lift the notice. Texas Water Fund — A one-time investment of $1 billion created in the 2023 legislative session using surplus state funds that funded water infrastructure projects. Texas water plan — A guide the state uses to manage the long-term demand for the state’s water resources. The plan accounts for the water needs for municipal, irrigation, and livestock, among other uses. It also addresses each region in Texas and proposes water supply solutions to meet demand. It is written by the Texas Water Development Board, and the final plan is submitted to the Texas Legislature, governor and lieutenant governor. Other types of water and treatments Groundwater, picked up by wells near Rancho Viejo, goes through microfiltration at the SRWA Brackish Groundwater Treatment Facility in Brownsville on July 15, 2024. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune Desalination — The process of removing salt from seawater or salty groundwater so it can be used for drinking water, irrigation and industrial uses. Researchers say desalination could be a solution to water shortages. Produced water — Water that comes out of the ground as wastewater during the extraction of oil and gas production. Brackish water — Salty groundwater with salinity levels higher than fresh water, but lower than sea water. Brackish groundwater forms when fresh and sea water mix or rainfall seeps into the ground and mixes with minerals within the subsurface. Water runoff — When there is more water than the land can absorb, causing erosion, flooding, and water pollution. Sources: We can’t wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

Texas is running out of water. Here’s why and what state leaders plan to do about it.

The state’s water supply faces numerous threats. And by one estimate, the state’s municipal supply will not meet demand by 2030 if there’s a severe drought and no water solutions are implemented.

Subscribe to The Y’all — a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state. This article is part of Running Out, an occasional series about Texas’ water crisis. Read more stories about the threats facing Texas’ water supply here. Texas officials fear the state is gravely close to running out of water. Towns and cities could be on a path toward a severe shortage of water by 2030, data compiled in the state's 2022 water plan by the Texas Water Development Board indicates. This would happen if there is recurring, record-breaking drought conditions across the state, and if water entities and state leaders fail to put in place key strategies to secure water supplies. At risk is the water Texans use every day for cooking, cleaning — and drinking. State lawmakers are debating several solutions, including finding ways to bring new water supply to Texas, and dedicating more money to fix dilapidated infrastructure. For most other Texans, however, the extent of their knowledge of where water comes from is the kitchen faucet and backyard hose. But behind every drop is a complicated system of sources, laws and management challenges. So, where does Texas get its water? Who owns it? And why are we running out? Let’s break it down. Where does Texas get its water? Texas’ water supply comes from two main sources: Groundwater makes up 54%. It is water that is stored underground in aquifers. Surface water makes up 43%. It is water from lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Texas has nine major aquifers and 22 minor ones. They are large formations underground made of sand, gravel, limestone and other porous rocks. The formations act as giant tubs that hold and filter the water. The largest is the Ogallala Aquifer underneath the Panhandle and West Texas. It is also the biggest aquifer in the U.S., and Texas shares it with seven other states. It’s a lifeline for farms and ranches in the Texas High Plains. However, overuse is rapidly depleting it. Another major source is the Edwards Aquifer, which provides drinking water to San Antonio and the surrounding Hill Country. The state also gets water from 15 major river basins and eight coastal basins, lakes, and more than 180 reservoirs. Reservoirs are man-made lakes created by damming rivers to store water for drinking, agriculture and industry. Like aquifers, they are not endless supplies — water levels can depend on rainfall. And climate change, which alters precipitation patterns, leads to more droughts and fluctuating water levels. Major surface water sources include the Rio Grande, Colorado River, and reservoirs like Lake Travis in Austin and Toledo Bend in East Texas. Does water supply vary region by region? Yes, and where you get your water from depends on where you live. Groundwater is not equally available across the state. As water expert Carlos Rubinstein puts it: "People don’t all live next to rivers, and the aquifer isn’t a bathtub with the same amount of water everywhere. Rocks and sand get in the way." For example, people living in Lubbock get their water from several sources — two water well fields, Lake Meredith and Lake Alan Henry. Texans living in Fort Worth get their water from mostly surface water sources — lakes, reservoirs and the Trinity River. Is my city going to run out of water? How can I check? Since water supply varies by region, the Texas Tribune created an address-search tool. This tool shows where your local water supply comes from and what supply and demand projections look like for the future. The tool also explains how you can get more involved in water planning. This can be by attending meetings with regional groups who plan for water needs and use, providing public comments to the water development board as they draft new water plans, or by reaching out to lawmakers. Who owns Texas’ water — and who governs it? Water in Texas is a legally complex, highly managed resource. If you own land above an aquifer in Texas, you own the groundwater beneath it — just like owning oil or gas. You don’t have to pump it to claim it; it’s yours by default. However, that doesn’t mean you should use as much as you want. There are consequences. “Groundwater is your long-term bank account,” says John Dupnik, a deputy executive administrator at the Texas Water Development Board. “The more you withdraw, the faster it declines because it doesn’t replenish quickly.” To manage this, some areas have groundwater conservation districts that regulate how much water can be pumped. Since groundwater is owned by the landowner, general managers at the districts say they constantly have to strike a balance between protecting water supplies and respecting private property rights. “We have to let landowners use their water,” says Ty Edwards, general manager of the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District. “But we also have to protect everyone else’s wells. It’s a juggling act.” Unlike groundwater, surface water belongs to the state. To use it — whether it’s for cities, farms, or businesses — you need a permit from the state’s environmental agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Texas follows a “first in time, first in right” system, meaning older water rights take priority. In a drought, those with senior rights get water first, and newer users might be cut off entirely. “Think of it like a sold-out concert,” said Rubinstein, a former chair of the Texas Water Development Board. “There are no more tickets. The only way to get more water is to build new storage, but that’s easier said than done.” Texas’ two separate legal systems for water — one for groundwater and one for surface water — makes management tricky. Dupnik, the water board administrator, said Texas is unique in having the system divided this way. Just nine states, including Texas, have this two-tiered system. “Most states are usually one or the other,” Dupnik said. The two water resources are also deeply connected. About 30% of the water in Texas rivers comes from groundwater, according to a water board study. When wells pump too much, rivers and springs can dry up. Sharlene Leurig, a managing member with environmental consulting firm Fluid Advisors, said it’s important for people to understand the relationship between the two. “Depletions of one drives depletions of the other,” Leurig said. Why are people concerned about water now? Texas is growing, and its water supply isn’t keeping up. With droughts, overuse and changing rainfall patterns, water is becoming a scarce resource. The 2022 Texas Water Plan estimates the state’s population will increase to 51.5 million people by 2070 — an increase of 73%. At the same time, water supply is projected to decrease approximately 18%. The biggest reduction is in groundwater, which is projected to decline 32% by 2070. This shortfall will be felt most in two major aquifers: The Ogallala Aquifer, as a result of its managed depletion over time, and the Gulf Coast Aquifer, which faces mandatory pumping reductions to prevent land sinking from over-extraction. Texas is not only losing water to overuse. The state’s aging water pipes are deteriorating, contributing to massive losses from leaks and breaks. A 2022 report by Texas Living Waters Project, a coalition of environmental groups, estimated that Texas water systems lose at least 572,000 acre-feet per year — about 51 gallons of water per home or business connection every day — enough water to meet the total annual municipal needs of Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo and Lubbock combined. These old pipes also raise concerns about water quality and supply. Breaks trigger boil-water notices, while repairs and replacements strain budgets. This issue is amplified by the lack of funding for maintenance in some areas and the increasing demand for water due to population growth. Who’s using the most water and how is that changing? Irrigation holds the top spot for water use in Texas, according to the water board. In fact, agriculture has been the dominant water consumer for decades. In 2020, over a third of irrigation and livestock water in Texas came from the Ogallala and Edwards-Trinity aquifers. At the same time, more than one-fifth of non-agricultural water came from the Trinity River Basin. But the way water is used is shifting. By 2060, municipal water demand is projected to overtake irrigation as the biggest user, according to the water board. Agriculture producers will struggle to meet water prices, said Alan Day, general manager of the Brazos Groundwater Conservation District. As climate change intensifies, he said, water supply may decrease in certain parts of the state and compound challenges for farmers and ranchers. “With water getting more expensive, we’re seeing a shift from agricultural use to municipal demand,” he said. Day added that water use isn’t just about who’s taking the most — it’s about where it’s coming from, who’s willing to pay for it, and how we decide to share it in the future. “What do we want our shared water resources to look like 50 years from now?” Day said. “That’s a moving target. And it’s a political hot potato.” The state’s water plan says Texas does not have enough water supply to meet the growing need of 6.9 million acre-feet of additional water supplies by 2070 — enough to support 41.4 million Texans for one year. If water strategies are not implemented, the plan says approximately 25% of Texas’ population in 2070 would have less than half the municipal water supplies they will require during a significant drought. “There's going to be a fight over at what level does harm occur to any of these particular aquifers,” Day said. How are we planning for water shortages? The water board is responsible for planning for water shortages. The agency uses the 1950s drought or “drought of record” as a benchmark for statewide water planning. Temple McKinnon, the director of water supply planning at the state agency, said using the “worst-case scenario” allows water planners to come up with strategies for how to meet future water needs. That planning has manifested in state legislation and infrastructure investment. In 2023, voters approved a one-time use of $1 billion to fund infrastructure projects. This year, two Republican lawmakers, state Sen. Charles Perry from Lubbock and state Rep. Cody Harris of Palestine, filed constitutional amendments to dedicate $1 billion annually for up to 10 years for water projects. Harris also filed House Bill 16 — a sweeping priority bill that touches on water funds, flood plans, and the development of infrastructure to transport water into a water supply system. Senate Bill 7, which Perry is expected to author, was named a priority by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and would increase investments in water supply efforts. Texas budget writers have already signaled a willingness to invest at least $2.5 billion in water plans. Perry previously told the Tribune he wants as much as $5 billion. A key part of this effort is the creation of a statewide water grid — a network of pipelines and supply connections to better distribute water across Texas. Currently, water systems across the state operate independently. A new water grid would allow Texas to shift water from wetter regions to drier ones when supply shortages hit. However, a framework is still being developed to determine who will oversee and manage this interconnected system. Lawmakers, including Perry, are also eyeing new water resources to meet future water supply needs. Some Texas cities, like Corpus Christi along the coast, are turning to desalination to treat seawater and make it drinkable. El Paso has been a leader in this effort, but focusing on cleaning brackish groundwater — slightly salty water found deep underground — enough to drink. Experts say that the state has untapped water resources — potentially enough to meet the state’s long-term needs. Disclosure: Texas Living Waters Project has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. We can’t wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

EPA signals it could narrow Clean Water Act protections

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signaled that it could narrow which set of waters receive protections under the Clean Water Act. The law requires the EPA to protect so-called “waters of the United States” but there has been significant political back-and-forth as to which bodies of water that should include. In a press release...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signaled that it could narrow which set of waters receive protections under the Clean Water Act. The law requires the EPA to protect so-called “waters of the United States” but there has been significant political back-and-forth as to which bodies of water that should include. In a press release on Wednesday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin criticized the Biden administration’s definition, saying it “placed unfair burdens on the American people and drove up the cost of doing business.” The agency said that it, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, would “move quickly to ensure that a revised definition follows the law, reduces red-tape, cuts overall permitting costs, and lowers the cost of doing business in communities across the country while protecting the nation’s navigable waters from pollution.” Under the last Trump administration, the EPA sought to limit protections to waters that eventually flow into a “navigable” water – in practice excluding a significant number of wetlands and streams from Clean Water Act protections. The Biden administration issued its own rules that were expected to broaden protections to some degree – however, it was also restricted by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling which limited which waters can receive protections.  If a water is protected under the Clean Water Act, businesses and others who want to dump waste into the water need a permit from a federal or state agency in order to do so. The government can decide not to allow dumping into such bodies of waters or put restrictions on doing so. The EPA’s Wednesday announcement received praise from Republicans, who said a revised definition would be good for businesses.  “I commend EPA and USACE for taking this first step to carefully provide the clarity landowners, farmers, businesses, and local governments have been asking for by refining the scope of WOTUS without excessive overreach,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) in a statement.  However, environmental advocacy groups expressed concern.  “Weakening the Clean Water Act threatens safe, reliable drinking water for tens of millions of Americans, and could drastically increase water treatment costs for farmers,” said Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of American Rivers, in a statement. “Our rivers were literally on fire prior to the Clean Water Act and any step back to those days, any step to limit what water sources receive protections, is a step in the wrong direction.”

The Salton Sea is California’s most imperiled lake. Can a new conservancy save it?

A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough?

In summary A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough? Haze hung over the Salton Sea on a recent winter day, while black-necked stilts and kildeer waded in the shallows, pecking at crustaceans.  Something else emerged a few steps closer to the lakeshore: a briny, rotten egg stench wafting from the water.  The Salton Sea is nearly twice as salty as the ocean, laden with agricultural runoff and susceptible to algal blooms that spew hydrogen sulfide, a noxious gas. It’s also a haven to more than 400 bird species and a key stop on the Pacific Flyway, one of North America’s main bird migration routes.  State officials have wrestled with the sea’s deteriorating condition as its water becomes fouler and its footprint shrinks, exposing toxic dust that wafts through the region.  This year, the state took a step toward a solution, creating a new Salton Sea Conservancy and earmarking nearly half a billion dollars to revive the deteriorating water body.  While the funds will help restore native vegetation and improve water quality, some community organizers think it will ultimately take tens of billions of dollars to save the sea. And the conservancy alone can’t address the impact its pollution has on human health, including the elevated asthma rates among nearby residents.  “The Salton Sea is one of the most pressing environmental health crises in the state of California,” said state Sen. Steve Padilla, the Chula Vista Democrat who authored the bill to create the conservancy last year. “It’s a public health and ecological disaster … The Salton Sea Conservancy will provide permanency in our investments for cleanup and restoration.” The California climate bond that voters passed in November dedicates $170 million toward Salton Sea restoration, including $10 million to establish the conservancy. The state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund also dedicates $60 million and the federal Bureau of Reclamation is contributing another $250 million, Padilla said. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Legislature, local water districts, tribal governments and nonprofits are expected to appoint 15 members to the conservancy by Jan. 1.  The new conservancy will manage land and water rights and oversee restoration work spelled out in the 2018 Salton Sea Management Program, a 10-year blueprint for building 30,000 acres of wildlife habitat and dust suppression projects.  “The conservancy is needed to make sure that it is completed, but also to permanently maintain and manage that restoration,” Padilla said. “This is not the kind of thing where you check a box, one and done.” At 35 miles long and 15 miles wide, the Salton Sea is California’s largest lake. Its most recent incarnation formed in 1905, when the Colorado River breached an irrigation canal and millions of gallons of freshwater flooded the basin, creating an inland lake that spans Coachella and Imperial valleys. Pelicans take flight at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge in Calipatria on July 15, 2021. Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP Photo But that wasn’t really its beginning. Although the Salton Sea holds a reputation as an agricultural accident, it has filled and drained naturally over the past few millennia.  Ancient versions of what was called Lake Cahuilla have appeared every few hundred years since prehistoric times. In its older, larger configurations, Native Americans set fish traps along the shoreline. It filled as recently as 1731, a hydrology study by San Diego State University found. That natural history demonstrates its value to the region, proponents say. “We need to treat the Salton Sea as an important ecosystem for our environment that we live in,” said Luis Olmedo, executive director of Comite Civico del Valle, a Brawley-based community organization. During its heyday in the 1960s, the salty lake was an aquatic playground for Rat Pack celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. By the end of the last century its salinity increased and water quality plunged, leading to mass die-offs of fish and birds, including endangered brown pelicans.  Area residents suffer from breathing problems, as dust from the exposed lakebed swirls through neighboring communities. Last year a study by the University of Southern California found  nearly a quarter of children living near the Salton Sea experience asthma, about three to five times the national average. A thriving hotspot for birds Despite its contamination, the sea still provides key wildlife habitat. An Audubon bird count in August 2023 yielded a record 250,000 shorebirds sighted in one day, said Camila Bautista, Salton Sea and desert program manager with Audubon California. Even as the sea’s polluted water and dying fishery make it less hospitable to fish-eating birds such as pelicans, ground-nesting birds such as snowy plovers proliferate on the expanding shoreline.  “The Salton Sea is still a thriving hotspot for birds, and these restoration projects are important to make sure that’s still the case,” Bautista said. The California Salton Sea Management Program lists 18 restoration projects, including some key efforts already underway.  Those include massive aquatic restoration projects as well as revegetation efforts, said Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary Samantha Arthur, who oversees the management program. At the south end of the sea, the state’s species conservation habitat project has added nearly 5,000 acres of ponds, basins and other water features, according to the management program’s project tracker. Images of the site look like a sci-fi waterworld, where earth-moving equipment reshapes the shoreline into a network of 10-foot-deep pools.  Workers will mix highly saline water from the sea with freshwater from its main tributary, the New River, to reach a target salinity of 20 to 40 parts per thousand, Arthur said. At that level the water can support native desert pupfish, along with tilapia, an imported fish that’s adapted to brackish water and once thrived throughout the sea.  “We’re designing a target salinity to sustain the fish and then to attract the birds,” she said.  Read Next Will California’s desert be transformed into Lithium Valley? by Julie Cart Covering exposed soil with water should also improve air quality by suppressing dust, Arthur said. That project started in 2020 and is slated for completion this year. An expansion to the species conservation habitat would add another 14,900 acres of aquatic habitat for fish-eating birds, with “nesting and loafing islands” and ponds of varied depths. It’s expected to be finished in 2027.  The management plan also includes planting native vegetation around the shoreline or encouraging plants that are already there.  “We see 8,000 acres of wetlands that have naturally sprung up along the edge of the sea,” Arthur said. “The thing that’s great about that is it provides ongoing habitat for bird species.” The state is helping that along by planting native vegetation on the west side of the sea, to create habitat and cut dust. Creating nature-based solutions Bombay Beach is an artisan hamlet on the east side of the Salton Sea, dotted with rusted trailers, abandoned cars and pop-up art installments. First: The Salton Sea at Bombay Beach on Feb. 4, 2023. Last: People at the Salton Sea at Bombay Beach on Feb. 4, 2023. Photos by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters It’s also the site of a restoration project spearheaded by Audubon California, which will add 564 acres of wetland by 2028. It will create shoreline berms to enable water to pool naturally, forming shallow ponds that draw waterfowl and shorebirds, Bautista said. “The message of this project is to make this as self-sustaining as we can, and to work with nature-based solutions to make it not super engineered,” Bautista said. Those projects form the first phases of a bigger restoration effort, Arthur said.  As state officials and nonprofit partners are shoring up wetlands and planting vegetation, the Army Corps of Engineers is studying long-term solutions for the Salton Sea. Olmedo thinks the half billion dollars allocated now is just a small part of what’s ultimately needed to save the sea.  “Everything is costing more and it’s not unreasonable to think that we have a $60 billion liability,” he said. “I want to see billions of dollars invested in infrastructure.” Silvia Paz, executive director of the Coachella-based community group Alianza Coachella Valley, pointed out that the conservancy is primarily focused on restoring habitat, but human health risks from its pollution still needs attention. She wants to see more public health studies and services as part of long-term plans for the Salton Sea. “That’s a big win that we have the conservancy established,” she said. “In terms of addressing the overall health, environmental and economic impacts, the conservancy was not designed for that, and we still have a way to go to figure out how to address that.” Read More Massive Salton Sea lithium project gets judge’s go-ahead, ending advocates’ lawsuit January 29, 2025January 29, 2025 Danger in the dust: Coachella Valley residents struggle to breathe August 1, 2024August 2, 2024

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