Rapidly shrinking Salton Sea raises toxic dust concerns for nearby communities, California
The Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, is receding faster than anticipated, primarily due to water diversions from the Colorado River to urban areas like San Diego. A recent study led by Ryan Sinclair of Loma Linda University, involving community scientists and balloon mapping techniques, has documented shoreline changes, revealing that toxic dust levels could further deteriorate air quality for nearby residents.
Rapidly shrinking Salton Sea raises toxic dust concerns for nearby communities, U.S, November 3, 2024. Image credit: Loma Linda University Health
- Since the end of mitigating water inflows in 2017 and, more recently, due to intensified water reallocation policies in 2018, the lake’s shoreline is retreating at an accelerated rate, particularly impacting its North Shore.
- This has created significant dust issues, as toxins such as arsenic, selenium, and pesticide residues from agricultural runoff are now airborne, raising serious health concerns for surrounding communities.
The Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, has receded quicker than expected. As more lakebeds are exposed, the dry, poisonous dust thrown into the atmosphere exacerbates the bad air quality in the neighboring areas.
According to the most recent research, the Salton Sea’s shoreline retreated by an alarming 300 m (984 feet) in the north and 160 m (525 feet) in the south between 2002 and 2020, with an accelerated pace of recession after 2017.Â
“This research was a direct response to a request from the community, which wanted to be involved in impactful research questions to understand shoreline reduction,” said Ryan Sinclair, PhD, MPH, associate professor of environmental microbiology at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and primary investigator of the study.
“The community wants to be able to live next to a Salton Sea that they’re proud of.”
These changes have resulted in increased levels of PM10, a harmful particulate matter linked to respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, which is becoming more prevalent among the local population.
The Salton Sea is in the arid southeastern California, bordering Imperial and Riverside counties. It was established by unintentional flooding in 1905 and has grown to be California’s largest lake and a valuable resource for wildlife.
The lake’s reduction is primarily the result of lower inflows from the Colorado River, which have been redirected to suit urban and agricultural demands elsewhere, particularly in San Diego.
The lake’s surrounding towns, notably North Shore and other tiny communities, are facing the brunt of the lake’s recession, as the exposed lakebed causes severe dust problems.
The recession rate has increased significantly since discontinuing the Quantification Settlement Agreement’s (QSA) mitigating waters in 2017.
Previously, the QSA was in charge of managing water transfers and Salton Sea inflows. After 2017, inflows fell precipitously, resulting in a substantial decrease in the following years.
This trend shows no indications of slowing since the Imperial Irrigation District’s new 2024 System Conservation Implementation Agreement (SCIA) will restrict water inflows by much to 700 000 acre-feet per year, pushing the recession even further.
The consequences of this water scarcity are evident along the lake’s North Shore, where the exposed “playa” is forecasted to expand by an additional 150 m by 2030 and another 172 m by 2041 if current trends continue.
The shrinking lakebed, called Playa, contains dangerous elements like arsenic, selenium, and agricultural chemicals. These particles are easily airborne, turning into toxic dust that permeates the surrounding area.
When desert winds blow, this PM10-laden dust spreads, posing severe respiratory risks, especially for children and the elderly.
Community scientists and citizens have taken matters into their own hands, utilizing balloon mapping techniques to monitor changes in the shoreline over time. Their results suggest a disturbing increase in lakebed exposure rates, which have tripled in some regions since 2017.
Health officials and environmentalists are now advocating for regulatory changes to address the issue. They contend that without considerable intervention, such as dust reduction and alternative water management measures, the Salton Sea’s eroding shoreline will continue to impact air quality and human health.
Proposed remedies include restoration efforts to minimize dust emissions from the exposed lakebed and intelligent water management measures to stabilize lake levels. However, these solutions necessitate coordinated action and money from state and federal entities.
According to projections, if no action is taken, more playa exposure over the next two decades will exacerbate the situation, potentially spreading the dust hazard to other locations and increasing health hazards for individuals who live close by.
Without mitigation, the future for inhabitants in this unique desert region is gloomy, with the lake that once provided life and biodiversity now endangering public health each year.
This is a collaborative community science project led by local youth and residents that helped record shoreline changes using balloon mapping, covering larger areas more efficiently than drones.
Researchers compared balloon-captured images over several days from 2019 to 2021 to historical satellite data from 2002.
“We started this at a strategic time,” Sinclair remarked, noting it began soon after policymakers increased water diversions to San Diego in 2018.
Led by environmental microbiology professor Ryan Sinclair from Loma Linda University, the study confirmed the rapid recession and its link to airborne pollutants, publishing these findings last week in Geographies.
References:
1 A Balloon Mapping Approach to Forecast Increases in PM10 from the Shrinking Shoreline of the Salton Sea – Sinclair, R.G.; Gaio, J.; Huazano, S.D.; Wiafe, S.A.; Porter, W.C – Geographies 2024, 4, 630-640 – October 17, 2024 – https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies4040034
2 Study: Salton Sea receding at greater rate – Loma Linda University Health – October 24, 2024
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