Salton Sea Management Program and the Species Conservation Habitat project, California
- 588.2 million US dollars were budgeted in my name. The benefit measured for me is below what was promised. California Legislative Analyst's Office
- A USC study found 24% of 722 children near me had asthma, and dust events were linked to more wheezing in children within 7 miles. USC News
- A University of California, Irvine study of nearly 500 children from 2019 to 2022 linked higher dust exposure to lower lung function. University of California, Irvine
- My surface stood at -243.8 feet on 25 July 2026. Pacific Institute
- Government and regulators California Natural Resources Agency: Air quality monitoring shows dust suppression of 75 to 90 percent in project areas. KESQ
- Researchers Pacific Institute (2025): The only multi-year estimates put lakebed emissions at "less than one percent of total dust emissions in the region"; suppression at the source alone is not sufficient, politically feasible or cost-effective. Pacific Institute
- Press and investigations inewsource, reporting the Pacific Institute study: Preliminary estimates suggest the state's dust suppression projects reduced dust by 75% in the areas covered; the state had spent US$49 million on them. inewsource
- Researchers USC and University of California, Irvine researchers: Dust events were linked to wheezing and to lower lung function in children near the Sea. USC News
California's Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP) is required by a 2017 State Water Board stipulated order to build 29,800 acres of habitat and dust-suppression projects by 31 December 2028. About US$588 million had been authorized by September 2023, including Proposition 1 (US$80.0 million) and Proposition 68 (US$185.0 million). The Legislative Analyst's Office found the program missed the annual targets in each of its first five years, with fewer than 2,500 of the 11,500 acres due by the end of 2023 completed.
California Legislative Analyst's Office, 26 February 2024. The LAO counted about 7,600 acres completed or under construction; other sources count completed and in-progress acres differently.
Status As of October 2026: the programme is under way with funding cited at about US$750 million; the LAO found in 2024 that the annual acreage targets had been missed for five years; completed acres after 2023 are not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
- Communities and wildlife in project areas — CNRA reports dust suppression of 75 to 90 percent in project areas and more birds in areas previously exposed (agency statements) KESQ
- California taxpayers — Bonds of US$347 million and General Fund US$101.0 million authorized by September 2023 California Legislative Analyst's Office
- The Salton Sea and nearby residents — Exposed playa dust; 24% of 722 children surveyed had asthma; lower lung function linked to dust exposure USC News
What happened
The state's response to the shrinking Salton Sea is organised under the Salton Sea Management Program, led by the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), IID petitioned the State Water Resources Control Board in 2014 over the slow pace of state action; the state published a Phase 1: 10-Year Plan in 2017 and the Board approved a stipulated water rights order in November 2017 requiring the state to meet annual acreage goals, at least half of the acres to provide habitat benefits for fish and wildlife. The order requires a cumulative 29,800 acres by 31 December 2028 (500 acres in 2018, rising to 4,200 in 2028), an annual public meeting, and a "catch up" the following year if a goal is missed.
The LAO reported that about US$590 million had been authorized for the programme by 20 September 2023: Proposition 12 (2000) US$4.8 million, Proposition 50 (2002) US$32.9 million, Proposition 84 (2006) US$44.2 million, Proposition 1 (2014) US$80.0 million and Proposition 68 (2018) US$185.0 million (bonds, US$347 million in all, excluding debt service); the General Fund US$101.0 million; federal US$71.8 million including US$70.0 million from the Bureau of Reclamation for the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) expansion; and US$68.5 million from the local Salton Sea Restoration Fund; US$2.1 million was unspent. A further US$175 million of federal money through 2026 depended on voluntary Colorado River reductions by IID and Coachella Valley Water District. The LAO added that nearly all authorized funds had been spent or committed and that no ongoing state funding was dedicated apart from anticipated lithium tax revenue. A CNRA official told the 2026 Salton Sea Summit that restoration funding is about US$750 million, "three-quarters of a billion dollars".
On acreage, the LAO's figure for the end of 2023 was about 7,600 acres completed or under construction and fewer than 2,500 completed, against 11,500 required; "acres actually completed or under construction" were 755 in 2020, 1,000 to 2,000 in 2021, 290 in 2022 and 5,400 in 2023. The Desert Sun reported in November 2023 that 368 acres were completed and 5,356 acres of interim dust control were under construction. The SCH project at the south end of the Sea, about 4,100 acres in the LAO's description, was nearing completion in early 2024; an expansion of 750 acres broke ground on 15 October 2024 (Bond Buyer). The programme's project fact sheet, last updated 29 January 2026, gave the SCH project a total area of approximately 10,000 acres, ponds with completed construction of 4,910 acres and ponds filled with a mix of Salton Sea and New River water of 2,010 acres. The programme dashboard (undated) listed 4,782 of 29,800 acres complete, 7,937 in construction, 5,551 in design and 11,530 in planning, with US$589 million in funds committed.
On results, CNRA's Joe Shea said in October 2026 that air quality monitoring shows dust suppression of 75 to 90 percent in project areas. The Pacific Institute (August 2025) wrote that preliminary estimates suggest 75% dust reduction in covered areas per inewsource, that state and local agencies had spent "tens of millions of dollars" on dust control, that the only multi-year estimates put lakebed emissions at "less than one percent of total dust emissions in the region", and that source suppression alone is not sufficient, feasible or cost-effective. Peer-reviewed studies in the region linked dust events to child respiratory outcomes (USC, Environmental Research, 2024; UC Irvine, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2025). The Pacific Institute page recorded the Sea's surface at -243.8 feet on 25 July 2026.
In February 2024 the LAO counted completed, in-progress and planned projects at about 15,700 acres, "only gets the state about halfway to the 2028 required target", and wrote that the state had not formally identified additional projects. CNRA Secretary Wade Crowfoot told the State Water Board in May 2023: "we continue to come from behind in terms of meeting our acreage targets". The LAO described the state's commitments as far exceeding a one-time US$60 million appropriation and suggested bonds, lithium tax revenues, the General Fund or special funds; at the October 2026 summit speakers noted that the seven Colorado River states have no agreement in place beyond 2028.
- 2003QSA executed; the state's 15-year mitigation period begins
- 2007Natural Resources Agency study recommends a US$9 billion preferred alternative, judged infeasible
- 2014IID petitions the State Water Board to require state management of the Sea
- 2017Phase 1: 10-Year Plan published; State Water Board stipulated order approved (November)
- 2020First projects; about 755 acres completed or under construction
- 2023End-2023 milestone of 11,500 cumulative acres; fewer than 2,500 completed (LAO); US$70 million federal funds received in December
- 2024750-acre expansion of the Species Conservation Habitat project breaks ground (15 October)
- 2026SCH fact sheet (29 January): 4,910 acres of ponds built, 2,010 filled; CNRA cites about US$750 million in funding (October)
What was said
“we continue to come from behind in terms of meeting our acreage targets”
“They are way, way, way behind the milestones that the State Water Board memorialized”
“This moment is different. It's backed by real dollars, three-quarters of a billion dollars.”
“we're actually suppressing dust at 75 to 90 percent in our project areas.”
“Addressing the state's commitments at the Salton Sea will far exceed a one-time $60 million appropriation for projects.”
“It may be better use of state and local funds to protect people where they are exposed”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
The state continues to come from behind in meeting its acreage targets.
Palm Springs Desert Sun"We've shown just in the last couple of years that if you put real dollars in, you can get real projects out."
KESQThe programme missed required annual acreage targets in each of the first five years; completed and planned projects total about 15,700 acres, about halfway to the 2028 target.
California Legislative Analyst's OfficeThe state is "way, way, way behind the milestones that the State Water Board memorialized".
Palm Springs Desert SunAir quality monitoring shows dust suppression of 75 to 90 percent in project areas.
KESQThe only multi-year estimates put lakebed emissions at "less than one percent of total dust emissions in the region"; suppression at the source alone is not sufficient, politically feasible or cost-effective.
Pacific InstitutePreliminary estimates suggest the state's dust suppression projects reduced dust by 75% in the areas covered; the state had spent US$49 million on them.
inewsourceDust events were linked to wheezing and to lower lung function in children near the Sea.
USC NewsHow it looked
Shown
- The programme described as backed by about US$750 million, with dust suppression of 75 to 90 percent in project areas.Joe Shea, California Natural Resources Agency, as reported by KESQ · KESQ
- The SCH expansion presented as supported by US$250 million in federal funding, with 750 acres added to 4,100 acres under construction.Officials at the 15 October 2024 groundbreaking, as reported by the Bond Buyer · The Bond Buyer
Recorded
- By the end of 2023 the order required a cumulative 11,500 acres; the LAO counted fewer than 2,500 completed and about 7,600 completed or under construction.
- The LAO found the programme missed the required annual acreage targets in each of the first five years of Phase 1.
- About US$588.2 million was authorized as of 20 September 2023, of which US$2.1 million was unspent; bonds accounted for US$347 million.
- The SCH project fact sheet (29 January 2026) lists ponds with completed construction of 4,910 acres and ponds filled of 2,010 acres.
- The Pacific Institute reports that lakebed emissions are less than one percent of total regional dust emissions in the only multi-year estimates.
In nature's name
Promised
- “This moment is different. It's backed by real dollars, three-quarters of a billion dollars.” — Joe Shea, California Natural Resources Agency (October 2026) KESQ
- “we're actually suppressing dust at 75 to 90 percent in our project areas.” — Joe Shea, California Natural Resources Agency (October 2026) KESQ
Money moved in nature's name
| What | Kind | Amount | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total funding authorized for the Salton Sea Management Program (as of 20 September 2023; excludes bond debt service; US$2.1 million unspent) State of California, federal government, local QSA agencies California Legislative Analyst's Office | Budget | $588m | 2000–2023 |
| Proposition 1 (2014) bond funds (staffing, project design and SCH construction) State of California California Legislative Analyst's Office | Budget | $80m | 2014 |
| Proposition 68 (2018) bond funds (SCH construction, habitat and dust suppression projects, North Lake Demonstration Project and staffing) State of California California Legislative Analyst's Office | Budget | $185m | 2018 |
| Bond funds in total (Propositions 12, 50, 84, 1 and 68) (as stated by the LAO; excludes debt service) State of California California Legislative Analyst's Office | Budget | $347m | 2000–2018 |
| General Fund (SCH construction, vegetation enhancement, design and staffing) State of California California Legislative Analyst's Office | Budget | $101m | to 2023 |
| Bureau of Reclamation funds for the SCH expansion (received December 2023; a further US$175 million through 2026 contingent on voluntary Colorado River reductions) Bureau of Reclamation California Legislative Analyst's Office | Paid out | $70m | 2023 |
| Salton Sea Restoration Fund (local QSA agencies) (total by 2047, about US$1.58 million a year) IID, CVWD and SDCWA California Legislative Analyst's Office | Pledged | $69m | to 2047 |
| Governor's one-time proposal for six projects (proposal for 2024-25; part of a US$65.2 million General Fund request) Governor of California (proposal) California Legislative Analyst's Office | Budget | $60m | 2024-25 |
| Restoration funding as cited by a CNRA official ('about three-quarters of a billion dollars'; no breakdown given) California Natural Resources Agency KESQ | Budget | $750m estimate | to 2026 |
| Spent on dust suppression projects (as reported by inewsource from the Pacific Institute report; the report itself says 'tens of millions of dollars') State of California (as reported by inewsource) inewsource | Spent | $49m | to 2025 |
Benefit to nature: what was measured
The 2017 order set a cumulative 29,800 acres by 2028 and 11,500 acres by the end of 2023. The Legislative Analyst's Office, an office of the Legislature, found fewer than 2,500 acres completed against 11,500 required and annual targets missed in each of the first five years. The dust-suppression percentages (75 to 90 percent) are CNRA's own figures; the Pacific Institute cites preliminary estimates of 75% and writes that lakebed emissions are less than one percent of regional dust. No independent measurement of habitat outcomes was found.
Operation Ongoing · Phase 1 runs to 31 December 2028; completed acres after 2023 are not confirmed in the sources reviewed. California Legislative Analyst's Office
Findings on record
- Official audit California Legislative Analyst's Office (2024-02-26) · The 2024-25 Budget: Salton Sea Management Program: “Since the SWRCB stipulated order was issued in 2017, SSMP has missed required annual acreage targets in each of the first five years” California Legislative Analyst's Office
- Own admission California Natural Resources Agency (Secretary Wade Crowfoot) (2023-05) · State Water Board workshop, May 2023, as reported by the Desert Sun: “we continue to come from behind in terms of meeting our acreage targets” Palm Springs Desert Sun
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- California Natural Resources Agency (May 2023; October 2026): Its Secretary said in May 2023 that the state continues to come from behind in meeting its acreage targets; its official said in October 2026 that the programme is backed by about US$750 million and suppresses dust at 75 to 90 percent in project areas. · KESQ
- Imperial Irrigation District (2014): Petitioned the State Water Board in 2014 to require the state to implement a management plan, according to the LAO; no statement of its own on programme results is recorded in the sources reviewed. · California Legislative Analyst's Office
- Bureau of Reclamation: No statement of its own on programme results is recorded in the sources reviewed.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2014–2017SettledState Water Board stipulated order revising the QSA water rights permit (Order WR 2017-0134)California State Water Resources Control Board · Administrative · Imperial Irrigation District (petitioner) → State of California
IID petitioned the Board in 2014 to require the state to begin implementing a management plan. In November 2017 the Board approved a stipulated order requiring the state to meet annual acreage goals of the Phase 1: 10-Year Plan, at least half of the project acres to provide habitat benefits, an annual public meeting, and a catch-up if a goal is missed. The LAO found the goals missed in each of the first five years. California Legislative Analyst's Office
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Disputed How much dust the projects suppress and whether suppression is the right response
Figures
- Self-reported only Dust reduction percent: KESQ, report published 15 October 2026. CNRA's own figure, in project areas
Accounts
- Disputed Whether the programme is on schedule
Record
- Not measured Not measured: the share of the programme's habitat and dust-suppression acres that has been independently measured for dust reduction. The 75 to 90 percent figure is CNRA's own; the 75% figure the Pacific Institute cites is described as preliminary.
- None on record None on record: a funded plan beyond Phase 1. The LAO wrote that apart from anticipated lithium tax revenue no ongoing state funding is dedicated for SSMP projects or maintenance and operations.
- Disputed Unclear: how many acres have been completed. The LAO reported fewer than 2,500 completed and about 7,600 completed or under construction (early 2024); the Desert Sun reported 368 completed and 5,356 interim acres under construction (November 2023); the programme dashboard (undated) lists 4,782 complete. The sources use different dates and definitions.
- Unclear Unclear: the programme's total. The LAO gives US$588.2 million authorized (September 2023), the dashboard US$589 million committed (undated) and CNRA's Joe Shea about US$750 million (October 2026); the sources do not reconcile the figures.
- Unclear Unclear: the 10-year target. The LAO and the order give 29,800 acres; the Desert Sun gives about 30,000.
- None on record None on record: acres completed in 2024 and 2025 against the targets of 2,700 and 3,400 acres.
Did the harm stop?
The sources reviewed show the Sea's decline continuing: the LAO wrote that the Sea will continue to contract, and the Pacific Institute recorded -243.8 feet on 25 July 2026. The programme reports project areas where dust is suppressed, in its own figures.
Who paid?
California taxpayers through voter-approved bonds (US$347 million), the General Fund (US$101.0 million) and, per the LAO, the federal government (US$71.8 million) and the local QSA agencies through the Salton Sea Restoration Fund (US$68.5 million).
Sources
Government and regulators
- The 2024-25 Budget: Salton Sea Management ProgramCalifornia Legislative Analyst's Office · 2024-02-26
- Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) project fact sheetCalifornia Natural Resources Agency, Salton Sea Management Program · 2026-01-29
- Salton Sea Management Program progress dashboard (undated)California Natural Resources Agency, Salton Sea Management Program ·
- 2025 Annual Report on the Salton Sea Management Program (library page)California Natural Resources Agency, via California Water Library · 2025-03-31
Press and investigations
- First major project at the Salton Sea nears completion; what's next? (Erin Rode; Yahoo copy)Palm Springs Desert Sun · 2023-11-07
- California federal and state lawmakers laud progress on Salton Sea project (Keeley Webster)The Bond Buyer · 2024-10-16
- Salton Sea dust and air study (report on the Pacific Institute's Breathing Hazard)inewsource · 2025-08-16
Communities and civil society
- Breathing Hazard: Air Pollution in the Salton Sea RegionPacific Institute · 2025-08-14
- Current information: Salton Sea (elevation chart citing USGS gage 10254005)Pacific Institute · 2026-07-25
Researchers
- Study links wind-blown dust from receding Salton Sea to reduced lung function in area children (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine)University of California, Irvine · 2025-10-14
Connected cases
- Salton Sea and the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement: Imperial Irrigation District water sold to San Diego and to Coachella or Metropolitan, California United States · 1998–2026 Related matter
- California Department of Water Resources (Government) — here: Lead implementer of the Species Conservation Habitat project; there: Buyer of 800,000 acre-feet of IID conserved water at US$175 per acre-foot under Fish and Game Code s.2081.7
- California State Water Resources Control Board (Government) — here: Approved the 2017 stipulated order setting annual acreage goals; there: Approved the transfer in December 2002 and ordered 15 years of mitigation inflow
- Imperial Irrigation District (Public authority) — here: Petitioned for the order in 2014; landowner and partner on the SCH project; there: Sells conserved Colorado River water to San Diego and to Coachella or Metropolitan; party to the Joint Powers Agreement
- California Legislative Analyst's Office (Public authority) — here: Reported funding and acreage progress in 2024; there: Reported inflow, funding and acreage data in 2024
- Pacific Institute (Research institution) — here: Published the 2025 air-pollution report and elevation data; there: Publishes Salton Sea elevation and air-pollution reports
- Salton Sea lithium: California's extraction tax (SB 125) and the Hell's Kitchen project, Imperial County United States · 2022–2026 Related matter
- Imperial Irrigation District (Public authority) — here: Petitioned for the order in 2014; landowner and partner on the SCH project; there: Water supplier whose capacity the Court of Appeal found unsupported by evidence for the project
- California Legislative Analyst's Office (Public authority) — here: Reported funding and acreage progress in 2024; there: Reported in February 2024 that no lithium tax revenue had been generated
- Groundwater pumping by nearby farms sank California's Friant-Kern Canal United States · 2020–2024
- California State Water Resources Control Board (Government) — here: Approved the 2017 stipulated order setting annual acreage goals; there: Placed the Tule subbasin on probation