Salton Sea Case Study

The upper basin states (including Colorado) were allocated a much greater percentage of the water than the lower basin states, while the upper basin states were developing at a much slower rate than those in the lower basin, notably California. Nevada (as of 1997) anticipated being unable to rely just on this water by 2015, while in 1997 California was already exceeding its originally allocated supply by diverting unused water from the upper basin states (Arizona.edu, 1997). It goes without saying that this legislation from the early twentieth century is not going to be sufficient in coming years as the development of these regions has progressed at a much faster rate than originally anticipated, and it is the responsibility of state and federal governments, water management companies, as well as appeals from farmers and non-farming residents alike to come to an agreement on how to apportion water and how to implement secondary hydration plans due to the rapidly declining resource that the once-magnificent Colorado River was able to supply us

Although Salt to the Sea is a story about things that have been lost and people enduring extreme hardships, it is also a story about hope, family and love. In the book Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, almost all of the main characters go through extremely tragic and terrible events. However, these characters also experience family moments and happy times. Despite the fact that in times of war there is hardship, violence and death, love and family shines through the tragedy. It is the two youngest members of the group, Klaus and Emilia, who eventually find a family to love.

As previously mentioned, the Colorado River compact was written and signed during abnormally wet climate cycles [4]. When the climate cycled back into the more traditional drier climate during the mid-twentieth century, the river no longer made it to the Gulf of California. While this was not an immediate concern as water levels remained well above the critical elevation, recent global warming trends have played a major role in the decline water supply in the Colorado River Basin. Over the past 15 years, the Colorado River Basin has experienced declining annual precipitation rates and higher temperatures throughout the year, which has cascade into higher evaporative loads from the soil and reservoirs, longer growing seasons that require more water, earlier melting times, all of which have reduced runoff and water supply [10]. In addition to the environmental factors, the differing conservation policies, water costs, and infrastructure planning across the basin state has contributed to water consumption that is above the basin’s renewable supply [14]. States like Nevada enforce strict that limit residents use via strict conservation policies, while states like California and Colorado use their senior water rights to maximum legal consumption and are planning to construct larger dams to

World War Two resulted in a chaotic destruction that overwhelmed Europe. These feelings of dismay are concisely summarized in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt of the Sea.. An impactful quote states, “war had bled color from everything, leaving nothing but a storm of gray.” The war in 1945 had drained any and all feelings of hope and spirit out of European people. In it’s wake, the war left a cloud of devastation and despair. Florian and Joana have to overcome this war, their fate, and guilt in order to return to their past selves and survive their journey in a German and Russian warzone.

The future of California is pretty good, for the state is projected to see growth in almost every sector of the economy as well as the population, but there are many concerns that must be addressed first in order to see California’s growth come to fruition. International trade and business is one of California’s largest industries and it’s expected to continue increasing, for many emerging economies are also located off of the Pacific Ocean. Growth in the economy is good, but requires resources that California has a limited supply of. The main resource California always needs is water, since most of the state’s population resides in the southern regions, which are arid and receive minimal precipitation annually. The state is planning on improving efficiency and the aqueduct system to increase the water supply while decrease the environmental effects California’s aqueduct’s have on regions like the San Joaquin River Delta. For many years California has been considered a very liberal and left state, which is due to the fact that the state has the toughest environmental legislation in the country. With such strong legislation ensuring the protection of the environment California has become a model state in the fight against climate change, and must remain vigilant for there are numerous species endemic to the state that are found nowhere else on the planet. Though there are numerous other factors’ affecting California’s future these are some of the most interesting areas to

“One, it’s tied to putting salmon back in the river. Two, there is no funding for dams or river recirculation technology that would maximize Sierra water runoff and lessen the economic devastation to some San Joaquin Valley farmers.” (McEwen 1)

Yet, humans have limited control on natural events, so this only reinforces the importance of managing water wisely. Recently California’s government has begun to focus more on sustaining and restoring the water supply. Dale Kasler (2016) articulates in his article some of the steps they have decided to make to solve this serious issue. The government has made the following investments: “$415 million for watershed restoration and other environmental aid for Lake Tahoe; up to $335 million for two proposed reservoirs in California, including the Sites reservoir north of Sacramento; $880 million for flood-control projects on the American and Sacramento rivers in Sacramento; and $780 million for flood-control projects in West Sacramento” (para. 10). This could be the first step to restoring the water to California. But these

The Salton Basin , a below-sea-level depression which extends on the north from Palm Springs , California, to the Gulf of California , in the south. The Salton Sea has undergone historic cycles of filling with water and later drying up. The most recent predecessor to the Sea, that being Lake Cahuilla , last filled this area between 300 to 500 years ago and at one time had a surface elevation above sea level. In 1905 the flooding of the Colorado River was accidentally diverted into the Salton though and thus the Salton Sea was born. When the Colorado River floods retreated in 1907, the surface elevation of the Salton Sea slowly began to drop until the 1930�s when agricultural drainage from the Imperial

Water is the most important resource, controlling all aspects of life. The effect on climate change is changing California’s water quality and quantity. This creates

Currently California is facing a water shortage. The issue has been addressed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in February. He called for all state agencies to find the way to help in the statewide water shortage. This is California’s third consecutive year of drought and last spring and summer was the worst of the season because it had the lowest amount of water recorded and California’s reservoirs were at their lowest point as well which did not help in the water shortage. Many agencies have been acquired to find possible solutions to the water shortage, the Department of Water Resources has been directed to find solutions to the problem as well as asking people to conserve water.

For decades, many were filled with false hope and fears of potential dangers that could occur in the future. In the early 2000s, state and federal officials put an immense amount of pressure on the Imperial irrigation district to send more water to neighboring cities such as San Diego County and the Coachella Valley. However, the less water, the worse the air quality would become, which posed a threat to people living in nearby areas. This fear led to the events in 2003 when Governor Gray Davis signed the signed the Salton Sea Restoration act. This bill's main purpose was to restore the Salton Sea's ecosystem protect the wildlife that depended on the ecosystem. According to the desert sun, “But a dozen years later — with the mitigation water set to run out on Jan. 1, 2018 — California has done little to counter the lake's slow death. Lawmakers balked at a 2007 restoration plan that would have cost about $9 billion”(The Desert Sun). This example shows how for many years nothing was being done about the rapidly growing problem and the residents that live in imperial county were tired of waiting. Imperial County submitted a petition to the State water Resources control center, commanding that the agreement be called to action. Which basically meant they wanted immediate action upon saving the lake or they would keep the water and possibly sue.With many uproared many agreed

Water is a precious resource. It is the lifeblood of every living thing on Earth. California is in the midst of a water crisis. Combined with a three (plus) year drought and many people moving into the state there is not enough water to support the crops the farmers need to grow. There is also a tiny little fish that is causing a mess in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta water pumps were turned off to prevent the extinction of the tiny little fish. Some farmers have to let their fields sit idle for the fall and spring planting season. This is causing a lot of problems in California. The pumps need to be turned back on. The needs of the people should come before that of a fish.

Some ideas to help stop this issue is that The State of California agreed 15 years ago to have a plan in place by 2017 to preserve wildlife habitat and public health by restoring at least part of the Salton Sea. New state and federal laws should clearly define reasonable and beneficial water use. With this standard, farmers will enact water-saving practices. The local water district, California, and the U.S. must immediately fund Salton Sea restoration. The Salton Sea is not well known and we have very few people to help so the people who are trying to help the Salton Sea want to let more people know about it and let people know what is happening to the Salton Sea.

The main objectives of this bill would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and Salton Sea Authority to lead Salton Sea restoration efforts. It will create planning, technical advisory group, study groups, and any form of aid the help for the Salton Sea restoration efforts. The bill would declare that all efforts will be declared effected immediately as an urgency matter. Just a few objectives that this bill would like to be successful are “(1) protect water quality, (2) maintain the Salton Sea as a vital link along the Pacific Flyway, (3) minimize noxious odors and other water and air quality problems, and (4) Permanently protect fish and wildlife that are dependent on the Salton Sea ecosystem” (Pérez, 2012). Although the bill has great intent for Salton Sea and has been very useful for its recovery, the Salton Sea still faces possibility that it will dry up.

When referring to Arizona’s water Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the state’s utility regulatory panel once said, “How do you say just how valuable water is in an arid state like Arizona?” she said. “It’s like the credit-card commercial-it’s priceless” (McKinnon). She was right, because in a dry state like Arizona, water is pretty important. To say water is ‘pretty important’ for the world is an understatement. We use water to function. And when we think of water we think of saving it. Keep the faucets from dripping or turn off the water while brushing your teeth. There are numerous tips for water conservation, but people don’t often think of the damage that is already done. Damages like ‘dead zones’. Dead zones in the ocean have been around for