Office of the Deputy Secretary

For Immediate Release: August 1, 2000

DOI: Noel Gerson,(202) 208-6291
Salton Sea Authority Tom Kirk, (760) 564-4888

SALTON SEA DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
TO BE REVISED AND SUPPLEMENTED

The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation and the Salton Sea Authority today announced plans to revise and supplement the January, 2000 Salton Sea Restoration Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Review (DEIS/EIR) based on public comments and further engineering review of the document. Since its release for public review in January, over 1700 comments have been received.

"This natural area is a critical link in the pacific flyway for millions of birds and an important recreation area for many Americans. We are pleased that the public process is working, and that citizens are engaged in helping to decide the fate of the Salton Sea," said Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes.

"It has not been easy to develop a restoration plan, and we must continue to rely on good science to guide restoration of the Sea. The question now is not whether to save the Sea, but how best to do it."

The Salton Sea Authority and the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Reclamation have been working in partnership on restoration alternatives for the Salton Sea. The Authority is a joint powers agency made up of the Imperial and Riverside counties as well as the Imperial Irrigation District and the Coachella Valley Water Authority.

"We are excited at the prospect of moving to this next level of effort, as it puts us one step closer to our goal of restoring the Salton Sea," said Tom Veysey, board president of the Authority and a member of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors.

Over the next several months, the supplemental review process will explore additional restoration alternatives such as the use of large-scale solar ponds; delete references to the use of Colorado River flood flows from the alternatives; and address in the revised DEIS/EIR the potential of selecting a preferred alternative for restoration of the Salton Sea.

"The public comments have provided us with many suggestions and constructive criticisms of the Draft EIS/EIR and our draft restoration plan which will guide us in our next steps." said Tom Kirk, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority.

Since the release of the draft restoration plan in January, a number of promising restoration technologies have been tested and construction of an enhanced evaporation system pilot project is scheduled to begin in early September. Other restoration efforts underway include pilot projects and programs tackling wildlife disease, shoreline clean up and fish harvesting.

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