Lithium Valley By Theresa Anguiano

The Coachella Valley is not only home to glamorous music festivals, summers made of dreams, and long forgotten resort destinations, it is also home to one of the country’s most chronic environmental emergencies in recent decades.

The Salton Sea is a large landlocked lake, containing high concentrations of saline, located in I

mperial and Riverside, California.

Instead of loose and fresh sand, there are tiny fragments of fish carcasses. Instead of fresh water, the lake is composed of high amounts of saline. The high concentration of salt and chemicals exacerbated the massive die-off of seabirds and fish.

Toxic water that dries and is exposed turns to fine dust that has worsened the public health crisis affecting residents in surrounding areas.

In the 1970s, many environmentalists and scientists warned of the negative changes of a lake being enclosed. The water draining through the soil carried selenium and many types of nitrates, raising the salinity levels.

Desert heat evaporation has further contributed to the high levels of salt, aggravating the already high salinity in the lake.

Throughout the 1990s, the massive die-off of Salton Sea’s wildlife began. As the lake bed became more and more exposed, the toxic fine dust spread to nearby communities in the form of clouds. The Salton Sea is a continuing emergency that legislation has long forgotten, until recently.

Many recent environmental projects have begun to take Salton Sea’s desperate cries for help into consideration. Congressman Raul Ruiz and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia spearheaded the much-needed Assembly Bill 1657 which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The massive lithium drilling rig has since started. The $500-million project is center stage to help combat the harmful effects of climate change that have affected Salton Sea by using lithium as clean energy. Lithium is the main component within EV batteries.

This established the Lithium Valley Commission. Salton Sea is now coined the “Lithium Valley”. This project will bring much needed allocated funds to the impoverished residents that live adjacent to the Salton Sea.