Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** When saving a river dries up an inland sea
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Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Algae and bacteria bloom in the Salton Sea. Photo: Raindrift, Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
The Sierra Club is suing a powerful California water agency ([link removed]) over a deal designed to help save the Colorado River—because the agreement will increase the drying of the Salton Sea, which is itself a growing environmental disaster.
Under the water conservation agreement, the Imperial Irrigation District, which holds some of the most senior water rights in California ([link removed]) , will try to reduce its use of Colorado River water by 750,000 acre feet over the next three years. In exchange, farmers will get more than $600 million from the Bureau of Reclamation. But the Bureau of Reclamation's environmental assessment of the deal found the cutbacks will also reduce the amount of water flowing into the Salton Sea, leaving behind a toxic mess that becomes airborne as the water evaporates.
Sierra Club's legal challenge ([link removed]) claims that the water district didn't do a full analysis of the Colorado River deal under California's Environmental Quality Act, and that reducing flows to the Salton Sea will put nearby residents in greater danger of breathing the toxic dust. School children in nearby towns already suffer from high rates of asthma ([link removed]) .
As KPBS reports ([link removed]) , the Salton Sea has no natural rivers that feed into it. The "sea" is itself an accident, created in 1905 when floodwaters breached an irrigation canal ([link removed].) . It is refilled only by runoff from nearby farms, which has led to increasing salinity and toxicity in the waters. The irrigation district says the state of California has responsibility to restore the sea.
** Quick hits
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Opinion: When Lake Powell reaches “dead pool,” tear down the Glen Canyon Dam
Writers on the Range ([link removed])
Oral arguments show Utah is desperate to seize federal land
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
FTC accuses second American oil exec of colluding with OPEC to fix prices
The Hill ([link removed]) | Bloomberg ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | DeSmog ([link removed]) | Common Dreams ([link removed])
The UK just stopped using coal power—how’s the rest of the world doing?
MIT Technology Review ([link removed]) | Ars Technica ([link removed]) | Yale Environment 360 ([link removed])
Montana Congressman’s bill would resume federal coal leasing
E&E News ([link removed])
Radioactive legacy across the West haunts new search for American uranium
New York Times ([link removed])
Wyoming moves ahead with bill allowing drivers to run down wolves—but adds a fine if the animal doesn't die right away
Associated Press ([link removed])
Opinion: Alaska lawmakers must push for truth and healing commission on Native boarding schools
Anchorage Daily News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Allowing the Colorado River to flow freely through Glen Canyon was a radical idea in the 1990s, but the opposite is true today. Climate change and steady water demand in the Southwest have shown us that the Glen Canyon Dam, instead of being a boon to water users, is part of the problem. Modifying the dam would give water managers greater flexibility in dry years, and it would allow Glen Canyon to continue its ecological rebirth.”
—Zak Podmore, Writers on the Range ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usfws ([link removed])
On this, the first day of October, we present to you one of our favorite orange animals: the regal ring-necked snake. At only a foot or two long and non-venomous, this beauty isn't spooky, unless you're another small snake (their favorite prey). Keep a sharp eye out at dusk in the desert southwest to see one for yourself. As always, be sure to always give wildlife enough space that you both feel safe.
Photo: Jeff Servos/USFWS
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