Legislators, stakeholders express concern over Salton Sea delays

SACRAMENTO — As progress at the Salton Sea continues on a standstill, members of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife expressed concerns and frustration to the agencies overseeing the Salton Sea management program.

Although the Californial Natural Resources Agency committed in writing last fall to cover nearly 30,000 acres of exposed playa and the state Water Resources Control Board agreed to oversee the progress, little has changed on the ground.

State Sen. Ben Hueso, who made a brief appearance at the meeting, told state agencies the members of the community he represents were very concerned with the slow pace of getting the habitat project built around the Salton Sea.

“These communities are what they call home. This is a very important area to the state, and for them, it just seems the state and the federal government are not giving it the attention it deserves,” Hueso said.

Under the stipulated order approved by the State Water Resources Control Board in November, the state must cover a specific amount of acreage around the sea each year — for 2018 the state will have to build projects that cover 500 acres. The total acreage to be covered will increase with time, and by the end of the 10-year plan, 30,000 acres are expected to have been covered.

A third of the year has gone by and no projects have gotten off the ground yet, leading to criticism and concerns brought forward earlier this week during an oversight meeting.

Secretary of Salton Sea policy for the CNRA Bruce Wilcox told the members of the committee the first project expected to get underway is the Species Conservation Habitat Project, which is expected to start in December.

He said the main obstacle to moving forward with the project is finalizing an easement with the Imperial Irrigation District, which owns land around the lake’s shoreline. According to Wilcox, IID would like to have liability coverage for the projects and for the already exposed playa. He said the state doesn’t have a problem with providing liability for the projects, but it is not enthusiastic about being liable for the already exposed shoreline.

In an effort to resolve the matter, Wilcox said he has four meetings scheduled with IID in May to iron out the details.

One way the state hopes to catch up is to improve the efficiency of its bidding and contracting process. Rather than seeking separate bids for designing and building projects, it wants to incorporate a system whereby both designing and construction can be awarded in a single bid.

“We are hopeful that we can work through that new process and come up with a more efficient way to go out to contract,” said Ted Frink of the Department of Water Resources. “That is one way the state is trying to make construction happen a little faster.”

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, who chairs the committee, asked Wilcox if there was something the Legislature could do to help speed up the process.

Wilcox said a potential area to consider is loosening the rules on proposition funds to allow the state to pay for operation and maintenance costs. The state currently has a memorandum of understanding with the federal government to commit approximately $3 million per year for the operation and maintenance of the habitat projects but has not received it yet.

“It is of particular importance because it doesn’t make sense to build these projects without a robust operations and maintenance program,” Wilcox said.

An issue that can be addressed before it becomes a problem is the staffing of the agency. Wilcox said that once the construction of multiple projects begins, the agency will likely require another project manager and additional engineers to oversee those projects.

Garcia also voiced concern regarding how soon the state can make use of the funds that could become available for the Salton Sea if they are approved by state voters. Proposition 68, which will appear in the June ballot, carries $200 million for the Salton Sea, and a separate water bond that will be on the November ballot could include an additional $200 million.

Garcia said he and the community envisioned multiple projects beginning to get built soon after those funds became available.

Wilcox said the agency will provide a plan to the Legislature on how it plans to get back on track by the end of June. He also said he will consider what actions state lawmakers can take to assist progress and present his recommendations in a proposal by the end of May.

“The pressure is on, and the threat to public health and ecological habitats are rising. These were the main objectives of the 10-Year Salton Sea Management Plan,” Garcia said. “We know that there have been tremendous barriers and delays leading up to this point, but the purpose of this hearing is to keep everyone on track to achieve the