Salton Sea cleanup in jeopardy as states battle over Colorado River water in West
The Salton Sea lies a world away in West Texas. But, the damage is similar.
CEDAR RAPIDS — At some point, the Colorado River in southern West Texas will dry up. The cause isn’t the drought, although drought can contribute to less water from the river, it’s that the Colorado is becoming too salty for some parts of the basin.
It’s a natural part of the river, but it’s a bad deal for certain areas of the West. One of those places is the Salton Sea, a 55-mile-long sea-like body of water that sits just north of the Rio Grande River. The Salton Sea was formed when an ancient dam collapsed across a tributary of the Rio Grande.
Now, the Salton Sea is in the crosshairs of the state of Utah, which wants to dam it and then sell Colorado River water, and the federal government, which wants to protect the Salton Sea as a national park.
In a battle that is likely to get much uglier, Arizona and New Mexico have joined the fray over the Salton Sea, with Mexico City and El Paso in a tie-in.
A fight over the Salton Sea is the most recent in a line of problems that has plagued southwestern states over water over the past year.
And, the battle isn’t over. The battle over water is just starting.
Water is one of the most contentious issues and the most contentious issues in the West. And, the battle isn’t over. The fight is just starting.
Water is one of the most contentious issues and the most contentious issues in the West. And, the battle isn’t over. The fight is just starting.
The Salton Sea’s unique geography, and its position between the Rio Grande and the Colorado River is what ultimately made it a trouble spot for those who wanted water to flow to the Southwest.
Until the late 1980s, the Salton Sea sat in a river basin on the edge of the Salton Aquifer. This aquifer