Senate Bill 583, passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024, created the Salton Sea Conservancy (SSC), the first state conservancy created in the last 15 years. On April 10, the governor announced the inaugural appointees to the conservancy board.
The April 10 press release from the governor’s office said the SSC will “take on a critical role to solidify the state’s efforts to protect residents’ health, sustain the operation and maintenance of large-scale habitat restoration, and increase public access. For too long, communities around the Salton Sea have carried the burden of environmental challenges and neglect. Today, California is changing that by launching the Salton Sea Conservancy to advance cleaner air, protect public health, restore critical ecosystems, and ensure the work we’ve started creates lasting opportunities for Salton Sea communities.”
The initial 22 conservancy board members—15 voting members, and seven ex-officio members—include state and regional agency, department and non-governmental organization representatives, including two local longtime advocates for long-term solutions: Castulo Estrada, a member of the Coachella Valley Water District Board of Directors and a 12-year member of the Salton Sea Authority; and Silvia Paz, founder and executive director of Alianza Coachella Valley. The Independent spoke with both of them about the role the SSC will play.
“The conservancy, believe it or not, was actually an idea that was formulated within the Salton Sea Authority (SSA),” CVWD’s Estrada recalled.
The SSA was created in 1993 as a joint powers authority including Riverside and Imperial counties, the Coachella Valley Water District, the Imperial Irrigation District and the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. It is “responsible for working in consultation and cooperation with the state of California to oversee the comprehensive restoration of the Salton Sea … (and) to assert a leadership role to ensure local priorities are recognized.”
“As we’ve been working at the (SSA) to address issues with the state and the feds and the community, we’ve been able to gather over $400 million through state appropriations, through the budget process,” Estrada said, “So over the last 10 years, we’ve been able to put together some money to help address the issues at the sea, and the 10-year plan (which sets goals through 2028) has been developed.”
Paz said the creation of the SSC will help the state remain focused on the Salton Sea as Gov. Newsom’s time in office comes to an end.
“This governance structure is critical, particularly given where we are with the 10-year plan and then this coming change in (California’s) administration,” Paz said. “… It hasn’t always been easy to get funding for this region, and particularly for the Salton Sea. This last administration (under Gov. Newsom), I think, really dialed it up and had been putting in a lot more resources than we have seen in a long time. Obviously, when there are changes in the administration, there’s always a question about whether what happened with the previous administration is going to continue, and with what momentum. At least for me, this Salton Sea Conservancy ensures that there is going to be continuity.”
“It hasn’t always been easy to get funding for this region, and particularly for the Salton Sea. This last administration (under Gov. Newsom), I think, really dialed it up and had been putting in a lot more resources than we have seen in a long time.”
Silvia Paz
Several important projects have been undertaken as part of the aforementioned 10-year plan—all intended to reclaim lost habitat, vital to both birds and sea creatures, or increase the water level. Estrada noted that various agencies and organizations have had a hand in these projects, all of which have been funded by one-time state appropriations.
“We identified a problem, which is: When we implement these projects, who is going to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of these projects to ensure that these assets and these investments can be carried into the future, long-term?” Estrada said. “So, at the authority, we thought, ‘What are we going to do to account for the funding that’s necessary to operate and maintain these projects that are being built?’ That’s how we came to the idea of a conservancy.
“There are a number of conservancies in California that operate projects; they own land, and they have certain powers. But the interesting thing is that … they’re actually a line item within the state budget process, and there’s an ability to ensure that these conservancies receive a budget appropriation for the purposes of operating and maintaining the responsibilities of that conservancy.”
In other words, the SSC will be the entity controlling the state funding, provided annually, to operate and maintain any projects at the Salton Sea intended to restore critical wildlife habitats, and reclaim portions of the exposed lake bed—which, when left unexposed, allows toxic dust particles to get into the air.
Additionally, Paz said she sees opportunities for the SSC to improve collaboration among the governments, nonprofits and agencies surrounding the Salton Sea.
“The challenges that our region faces, you see particularly in the Salton Sea, because it’s divided across two different jurisdictions … Imperial County and Riverside County,” Paz said. “… I think that the Salton Sea Conservancy—by bringing to the table both counties, as it should, to address an issue that expands and affects these two counties—is a really good opportunity to start redefining ourselves as this broader region, and seeing how we can collaborate across county lines.”
The SSC board had its first meeting on May 14. Before the meeting, Estrada explained how the conservancy would get going on its work.
“Right now, it’s a matter of starting to decipher what it is that the conservancy wants to focus on first, understanding what projects are being completed, and (what is ahead in) the 10-year plan,” Estrada said. “… (We need) to make sure that we, as a conservancy, are ready to operate and maintain those projects. … Maybe there’s a component there for doing more public outreach. That’s something that we’ve struggled with a little bit at the (SSA). I think the conservancy can help a lot with the engagement and the updates on what’s going on with the sea.”
Paz said she’s feeling optimistic about the progress being made regarding the Salton Sea.
“I know that a lot of times, it seems slow to many people, (particularly) when you’re living in close proximity to the lake, and you see how rapidly more and more of the playa is being exposed,” Paz said. “I see that every time I’m in the community of North Shore, (where) you get a very good view into the lake, and you see more playa being exposed. It can feel like there’s a lack of progress, but the projects that we have are, I believe, just at the beginning. We have the species habitat restoration project that’s going to be completed in different phases. I was there when we opened the waters for one of the ponds. Just being able to see that, one, gives perspective into how long projects like this take, and two, shows the need and the benefit for the SSC to ensure that there are ongoing operations, maintenance and continuity for future projects around the lake.”
Estrada said the conservancy will be a huge help—“if we do it right.”
“It should make us stronger as a region,” he said. “It should give us more tools in the toolbox for purposes of doing different things that need to be done at the sea. … I hope that it’s not something that becomes a tug-of-war between agencies, or that there’s confusion. I certainly would not want that to happen. I want it to be positive.”
