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In an effort to improve conditions at the Salton Sea, construction to create habitat and reduce exposed lakebed around the Sea began this week.
The Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project, located at the southern end of the Sea on both sides of the New River, will create a network of ponds and wetlands to provide important fish and bird habitat and suppress dust emissions to improve regional air quality as the Salton Sea recedes.
The SCH project will cover approximately 4,110 acres, an increase over the previously estimated 3,770 acres due to an updated design. Construction is expected to continue through the end of 2023.
“Beginning actual construction on this large project represents important progress,” California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said. “It is only possible thanks to strong coordination with our local, state and federal partners, including Imperial Irrigation District, Imperial County, the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District, the Colorado River Regional Water Quality Control Board, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Obviously, much more work lies ahead. We need to continue to deliver projects on the ground that improve conditions at the Salton Sea for residents as well as for wildlife.”
The SCH project is just phase one of the state’s Salton Sea Management Program, which focuses on constructing wetlands and other projects to limit exposed lakebed, reduce airborne dust and restore environmental habitat around the Sea.
The SCH is a $206.5 million investment in Imperial County that will create as many as 3,000 jobs.
