why is salton sea toxic

When these lakes evaporate, they can upend industries and erase surrounding communities. The dry lakebed already spews toxic dust into the air, threatening a … Connecting the Dots. The California Harmful Algal Blooms Portal collects data from regional inspectors and posts them on a map online. It’s also toxic — a looming environmental and public health disaster. When she reached the shore, and after the butterfly had fluttered away, she carefully poured bottled water over her legs and feet and wiped them clean. The Salton Sea Is Dying—We Can't Let That Happen. To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader. An air pollution control officer and a naturalist examine the state-funded habitat restoration and dust suppression project at Red Hill Bay overlooking the Salton Sea … “We’ve known that the byproducts of the agriculture industry end up in the Salton Sea. New national water quality regulations were developed there as a result. 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. 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. University of California, Riverside research shows toxic aerosols could also be filling the air. In the past two years, California and Imperial County officials have begun monitoring programs. 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 mud contains enough arsenic and selenium to qualify for disposal in a dump reserved for the most toxic of society's trash. They can live in everything from snow to the ring of water around a lawn sprinkler. Want more KPBS news?Find us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our newsletters. 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. A serious asthma crisis is afflicting communities around the Salton Sea. To be safe, the advice from the experts is simple: If the water doesn't look right, stay away. Text and … Clear as day, circulating through the Sea, … Why does Salton Sea smell? The problem has to do with runoff from the Colorado River entering Imperial Valley and going into the wetland areas around the Salton Sea. Hosted by Anica Colbert and produced by KPBS, San Diego and the Imperial County's NPR and PBS station. Phosphorous and nitrogen are the main culprits, and can be present in human or animal waste too. New episodes are ready weekday mornings. 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. "We don't know exactly what the spark is," he said, "but the fuel is always the same thing: fertilizers.". The Salton Sea was once a popular southern California tourist attraction, but over the years the lake has been abandoned as waters grow increasingly toxic. While many of the bacteria are harmless, some spawn nasty toxins that can cause convulsions, liver damage and other serious health concerns, officials say. Massive die-offs of a migratory bird called the eared grebe occurred in the 1990s at the Salton Sea, with 150,000 dead in a single year. I t’s just past noon on a Wednesday, but the bar at the Ski Inn in Bombay Beach, California, is already packed. Last summer, pet dogs died in Fresno and New Brunswick. "In the warmer months it's much more prevalent, because cyanobacteria prefer ample sunlight, full sun, and they like warm, calm waters," Giraci said. It’s already known this soil and aerosols produced from it are toxic for birds and fish, but now this study shows they’re also toxic for humans. "And don't let your kids go in it. However, over the past … A previous version mentions fertilizer, due to misleading information from UC Riverside researchers. And as the sea shrinks due to the diversion of waters to urban areas, more of the cyanobacteria and other contaminants that currently lurk in the deeper benthic zone could be exposed, he and others said. Saturday, January 23, 2021 at Listen to this story by Shalina Chatlani. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. Salton Sea is a modern toxic beach full of death and sits abandoned in the California desert. To date, levels of detected toxins there have been low, but they're there — enough on occasion to trigger caution signs, but not full closures or danger signs. 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. He also says other studies suggest agricultural fertilizers are high in selenium, so there has to be more research on how the element affects agricultural communities. The results of exposure can range from heartbreaking to costly. Closer to home, there have been no reports of related illnesses in the communities along the Salton Sea, said Jeff Lamoure, the deputy director for environmental health at the Imperial County public health department. 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. And in Brazil, 76 kidney dialysis patients died after intravenous exposure to microcystins in untreated water. They can live in everything from snow to the ring of water around a lawn sprinkler. The Salton Sea has been shrinking for years, and fish and birds have been dying. IID did not respond to a request for comment. Editors Note: This article has been updated to correctly report that runoff from the Colorado river carries selenium. Just like green plants, all thrive when an overabundance of nutrients exists — particularly phosphorus from fertilizer runoff. "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. Mark Twain was credited for the saying; “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” I cannot help to think of this saying in the context of the Salton Sea Crisis. As the Salton Sea continues to shrink, “desert winds will lift dust from thousands of acres of newly revealed lakebed and blow it into population centers, … San Diego news; when you want it, where you want it. County programs could help 's time to Save Our Sea problem is up... By 35 miles long, microcystin and saxatoxin, '' said geraci balance awareness of the risks their. Typically, the most pressing problem is the largest inland body of water around a lawn sprinkler depend on healthy! Balance awareness of the highest asthma rates, particularly for children trip, so you can more. 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