why is salton sea toxic

The Once Glamorous Salton Sea is Now Rife With Toxic Dust and Dying Fish The Salton Sea is a polluted accident turned natural resource, and the government is finally giving it … The Salton Sea is the largest inland body of water in California, and easily its most toxic. The source: The state’s largest lake, the 350-square-mile Salton Sea, was burping up hydrogen sulfide, a gas created by the decaying organic matter trapped beneath the water. The urgency of addressing human causes of climate change has long been apparent. New national water quality regulations were developed there as a result. Perched above frothy waves that roll across the sprawling Salton Sea, crowds of gawky great egrets nest in twigs of flooded tamarisk trees, guarding clutches of eggs that will be the next generation of birds to soar above this land-locked lake. It can cause hair loss, garlic breath and gastrointestinal problems,” Ahmed said. Experts say the Salton Sea's exposed lake bed sends harmful dust into the air and into surrounding communities. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Fluctuations in the water level caused by variations in agricultural runoff, the ancient salt deposits in the lake bed, and the relatively high salinity of the inflow feeding the sea are all causing increasing salinity. Ahmed said plants in the area digest this mineral and release into the air as an aerosol, which is air filled with liquid or solid particles. New episodes are ready weekday mornings. Hosted by Anica Colbert and produced by KPBS, San Diego and the Imperial County's NPR and PBS station. A previous version mentions fertilizer, due to misleading information from UC Riverside researchers. Regional water quality board executive officer Paula Rasmussen said officials are examining requiring permits instead of waivers, in some cases. Without an adequate water supply, the receding Salton Sea leaves behind dead fish and toxic, asthma-inducing dust. The lack of an outflow means the Salton Sea does not have a natural stabilization system; it is very dynamic. Since the Salton Sea is 236 feet below sea level, a siphon is possible and requires little energy. More than dust-filled air could be plaguing residents around the quickly evaporating Salton Sea in Imperial Valley. As far as toxins, we've observed three: anatoxin-a, microcystin and saxatoxin," said Geraci. The California drought has diminished much of the state’s lakes, rivers and streams, but the rise and demise of the Salton Sea occurred on a different timeline. Hot weather is on its way, and with it, potentially toxic bacteria could bloom rapidly in California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, and other waters on the receiving end of runoff from farms and golf courses or sewage spills. UC Riverside toxicologist Sabbir Ahmed and first-author on the study says selenium is necessary for human body health, but not in excessive doses. “Selenium is an element essential for human health … (but) if you take too much selenium it can be bad for your health. And in Brazil, 76 kidney dialysis patients died after intravenous exposure to microcystins in untreated water. The Imperial Valley region surrounding the sea has some of the highest asthma rates, particularly for children. "As we head into warmer weather, what people should look for is discoloration that doesn't match surrounding water, especially scum or foam on the surface or the shoreline. To be safe, the advice from the experts is simple: If the water doesn't look right, stay away. For residents near the Salton Sea, the most pressing problem is the threat of toxic dust. And as it dries, more hazardous substances could be exposed, including cyanobacteria. He said the aim is to augment state signage and surveillance. This February, they voted to approve an amendment to the city charter that recognizes the Great Lake as having legal rights —  giving the lake the same protections as a person. Imperial County supervisors earlier this year directed environmental health staff to create a water desk to address risks, with a focus on the Salton Sea. Saturday, January 23, 2021 at In response, a fifth-generation farming family sued the city, saying the initiative threatened their ability to properly fertilize fields because it could not guarantee that runoff would not enter the Lake Erie watershed. By Gary Polakovic The Press-Enterprise. When these lakes evaporate, they can upend industries and erase surrounding communities. Cyanobacteria, sometimes called blue-green algae, have been around for billions of years, and can also be red, purple, brown or pink. Although they dissipate more readily than legacy heavy metals and pesticides, they also can be more concentrated. The fish are dying due to the water being too salty - NOT due to toxic chemicals. California's Salton Sea, created by accident in the early 1900s, is set to become the latest casualty in the water wars, and is threatening to take the American West down with it. Just like green plants, all thrive when an overabundance of nutrients exists — particularly phosphorus from fertilizer runoff. The crowd is mostly Canadian, snowbirds escaping to the desert spas and country club … Major agriculture groups have fought tougher regulations for decades. It is safe to say: the Salton Sea is drying up, and it’s not safe for swimming, boating, kayaking, or fishing. A shrinking Salton Sea could expose its toxic-coated bottom to wind storms, posing a major air pollution hazard for eastern Riverside County and the Imperial Valley, officials say. That runoff is high in selenium. While researchers initially suspected avian cholera, a 2005 paper pinpointed microcystin - a poisonous form of algal bloom - in the livers of birds. "Eventually, we found it could lead to the airway inflammation, lung cancer, eventually Type 2 diabetes, this kind of stuff.”. We can fix the Salton Sea toxic dust problem with a relatively low-cost, two-phase solution. "And don't let your kids go in it. While many of the bacteria are harmless, some spawn nasty toxins that can cause convulsions, liver damage and other serious health concerns, officials say. Ahmed said this preliminary study shows there needs to be more research on the soils around the Salton Sea and how it could be affecting the population. Agricultural workers and communities living close to contaminated areas are more likely to be exposed. The dry lakebed already spews toxic dust into the air, threatening a … The California Harmful Algal Blooms Portal collects data from regional inspectors and posts them on a map online. Written by Lindsay Fendt, Food & Environment Reporting Network. It's tougher to close off recreation at the Salton Sea, which measures 15 miles wide by 35 miles long. But visitors from around the world who visit, sometimes to let their dogs run or their children romp, may not know about the risks. California’s largest lake is drying up. Above: Farming is a major economic driver in the Imperial Valley and it will continue to provide water for the Salton Sea. “We fed the selenium-containing aerosol to the human lung cell," Ahmed said. “We’ve known that the byproducts of the agriculture industry end up in the Salton Sea. Due to Federal, State and Local water policies the Salton Sea is shrinking, exposing toxic sea bottom thus posing a serious public health problem to the surrounding populations in the United States and Mexico while disrupting and destroying the migratory and nesting patterns of some 400 species of … Humans have suffered painful liver bleeding deaths in China. Salton Sea: The Salton Sea is is an endorheic lake in southern California, meaning that it has no outflow to a larger body of water. Salton Sea State Recreational Area. University of California, Riverside research shows toxic aerosols could also be filling the air. Without an adequate water supply, the receding Salton Sea leaves behind dead fish and toxic, asthma-inducing dust. IID did not respond to a request for comment. Along the Salton Sea and elsewhere, conditioned waivers from state water laws allow runoff, but cap amounts of certain contaminants or use "best management practices" by growers and others. But as large-scale agriculture and improved testing technology have surged, "toxic algae" are being recognized as a growing problem worldwide. "Walk a few hundred yards down the beach instead," advised Sephton. Even if they don't eat it, they're going to lick their fur and ingest cells that contain the toxins," said Geraci. Now it's a 'public health disaster' with toxic … But on a recent bright, calm afternoon, she couldn't stop herself from wading through muck to rescue a struggling painted lady butterfly out on the lake. A serious asthma crisis is afflicting communities around the Salton Sea. The problem has to do with runoff from the Colorado River entering Imperial Valley and going into the wetland areas around the Salton Sea. To amplify this issue that's paramount to us all, KPBS has launched a Climate Change Desk to step up our coverage of this existential threat including reported stories and interviews with experts and newsmakers. RELATED: Project Takes Aim At Controlling Salton Sea Dust, Reported by Shalina Chatlani The results of exposure can range from heartbreaking to costly. Ahmed said plants in the area digest this mineral and release into the air as an aerosol, which is air filled with liquid or solid particles. Bahreini said dangerous aerosols can be formed anywhere there’s excessive selenium in the soil. With growing concern from elected officials and residents, county public health staff held a community meeting in Desert Shores in late February. 1 p.m.Thursday, January 28, 2021 at Millions of birds depend on a healthy Salton Sea—so do the area's kids. Get the day's top news — ranging from local to international — straight to your inbox each weekday morning. I t’s just past noon on a Wednesday, but the bar at the Ski Inn in Bombay Beach, California, is already packed. Is Salton Sea worth visiting? Nellie McConell, who's lived a few hundred feet from the lake in Desert Shores since the 1980s, said her doctor told her that persistent nasal irritation and a polyp might be linked to dust from the dried playa. Text and … However, over the past … Too many people are afraid to go in the water at the Salton Sea, but most of the time it's as safe as the Pacific Ocean water off the coast in San Diego, L.A., and other major coastal California cities. Phosphorous and nitrogen are the main culprits, and can be present in human or animal waste too. ", While the levels observed so far are below World Health Organization amounts identified as dangerous, Geraci said, "just keep in mind, blooms can occur rather suddenly, with the potential to change to toxic conditions just as quickly.". Those are the really possibly hazardous areas you want to avoid," said Jeff Geraci, senior environmental scientist with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, which oversees the Colorado River region. Despite the appearance of being abandoned, the Salton Sea water is regularly tested by the health … Biochemist Tom Sephton did a historical assessment of toxics in the sea's sediment and water column, and is finalizing a recommended program for Imperial County. Created by a 1905 flood that spilled into the area, the Salton Sea rose to prominence as a resort town in the 1950s — “a waterpark playground in the desert,” according to a report by the BBC. She knows the warning signs well. 6:30 p.m. Lead image: The Salton Sea has shrunk dramatically over the last few decades, exposing miles of lake bed — and the toxic chemicals trapped there — that is sometimes stirred up as dust by the wind. New, coordinated state and county programs could help. 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