Governor’s Announcement of Funding for the Salton Sea Is a Positive Sign

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Darren Simon

An image of the Salton Sea’s southern shore with a geothermal plant in the background.

This week, Governor Newsom announced major investments in water resiliency and drought funding under his $10 billion “California Comeback” plan that includes $220 million for the Salton Sea. This is a critical gesture toward helping to address the needs of the Salton Sea, and an important sign of a renewed commitment by the state to implement a restoration program. That new funding, when joined with approximately $400 million already allocated for the state’s Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP), represents a step toward fully funding the SSMP’s Phase I: 10-Year Plan. That is assuming the $220 million will be assigned to the SSMP, which is anticipated to be the case.

An image of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who this week announced funding for water resiliency and to address the ongoing drought, including funding for the Salton Sea.

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The QSA JPA is Continuing A Robust Environmental Mitigation Program—As It Has Always Done

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Darren Simon

This image shows surface roughening that has been done on the southeast corner of the Salton Sea as part of the efforts of the environmental and air quality mitigation program led by Quantification Settlement Agreement Joint Powers Authority. The QSA JPA, since its establishment in 2003, has continued to meet its commitment to the Imperial Valley and specifically the Salton Sea.

When the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) was signed in 2003, it was designed to help California manage its use of the Colorado River and in doing so bring a level of peace among the Basin States that depend on the river. A key component of this historic agreement has been mitigating impacts of the water transfers that are the cornerstone of the QSA. With the environmental effort ongoing, it is worth delving into what that work has entailed from the start of the QSA to where it is today.

San Diego County Water Authority Launches Newsletter on Regional Conveyance System Study

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Darren Simon

Above is an image from a newsletter the San Diego County Water Authority is launching today to keep stakeholders updated on the Regional Conveyance System Study, which looks at the feasibility of a direct aqueduct to transport QSA supplies from the Imperial Valley to San Diego County.

To help keep the San Diego region, Imperial Valley and other interested stakeholders informed on the San Diego County Water Authority’s feasibility study of a proposed new aqueduct to transport 280,000 acre-feet of Quantification Settlement Agreement supplies (QSA), the Water Authority has launched a newsletter with the latest updates on the study. Today, the readers of this blog (Imperial-San Diego Currents), which is published by the Water Authority, will be receiving the first publication of the newsletter. Look for it in your emails.

For background, the 280,000-acre feet of QSA supplies includes the water transfer agreement between the Water Authority and Imperial Irrigation

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