Leaders in renewable energy look to Salton Sea

In the 1960s, more than a million people visited the Salton Sea every year. More people went to the Salton Sea State Park than Yosemite National Park.

Fast forward a few decades and the sea is now one of the nation’s most threatened ecosystems, gradually receding into a pool of dust.

“What happens when the wind kicks up that dust and how is the health of the people in the Coachella Valley going to be impacted?” asks Tom Kirk, executive director of CVAG, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments.

Those are the questions tackled at the Southern California Energy Summit’s forum on the Salton Sea. Experts there said the price tag to restore the massive lake may seem big, billions of dollars big, but even greater will be the harm to public health if the sea is left to dry.

“It’s going to take a multi-level effort for funding,” said Silvia Paz, a panelist and the director of Building Healthier Communities. “What are the funds that are out there that could go into potentially fixing the sea.”

Some of those funds could come from renewable energy. Panelists said we have yet to tap into the sea as a major source of geothermal energy, which could create big money for restoration efforts.

Imperial Irrigation District estimates geothermal development in the area could generate at least $2 billion over the next three decades. A major incentive after the loss of electric automaker Tesla deciding to build a battery factory in Nevada instead of near the Salton Sea.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, but there’s been very important steps taken at the Salton Sea,” Kirk said.