[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 146 (Monday, October 27, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11218-S11221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DEGRADATION OF THE SALTON SEA ECOSYSTEM

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues in the Senate what I believe to be a building environmental 
crisis in southern California, and that has to do with the Salton Sea. 
Let me begin by telling you what the Salton Sea is. The modern day 
Salton Sea is often referred to as the largest manmade water body in 
California. It was formed in late 1905 as a result of a break in a 
temporary levy along the Colorado River. For a period of about 16 
months after the breach, the Colorado River flowed into the below-sea-
level depression then known as the ``Salton sink,'' filling it to a 
depth of more than 80 feet above its lowest elevation. Since that time, 
the water level in the sea has been seeking a balance between desert 
forces that extract water as a product of evaporation and the inflows 
of water from surface and subsurface sources. The Salton Sea is about 
350 square miles. It is 35 miles long, it has 115 miles of shoreline, 
and it is 15 miles wide. It is a big body of water. Today, the depth is 
about 51 feet, and I believe it is about 234 feet below sea level.
  This lake was originally a freshwater lake. It is now dying because 
of a confluence of events. It is the combination of the rising salinity 
levels caused by the evaporation I just mentioned--and the body of 
water is now 25 percent saltier than the ocean--plus major disease 
outbreaks and other up to this point identified as unknown causes that 
scientists believe are linked to millions of gallons of polluted 
agricultural drainage as well as chemical wastes coming out of 
Mexicali. Now, these wastes flow from the Alamo and the New Rivers, 
which go from Mexico, flow north, and empty into this huge body of 
water. The body of water is best known as being between Palm Springs 
and the Mexican border. It is near the areas we considered for the 
Desert Protection Act, and originally it was hoped that it would be a 
major recreation area. As a matter of fact, it was hoped that about 
$500 million a year in revenues would be produced because of 
recreational and job opportunities. Instead, it is now just a dreadful 
situation.
  The two rivers I just mentioned, the New River and Alamo River, 
account

[[Page S11219]]

for about 78 percent of the water replenishment of the Salton Sea. The 
Whitewater River on the northern end also dumps agricultural runoff 
into the Salton Sea. I first visited the area in 1990 when I was in El 
Centro. I remember going to the banks of the New River and there were 
workers there, volunteers, picking up rubbish along the riverside. They 
had on elbow-high gloves. I asked the question, ``Why do you wear these 
gloves?'' They told me that even above the gloves they would get 
blisters when they worked around the area. So in 1990 something was 
going on. It has gotten a lot worse since then.
  In 1996, pathogenic micro-organisms were identified in the sea's 
environment, and that includes the New River. Among them were the 
organisms capable of causing polio, typhoid, cholera, and tuberculosis. 
Also, concerns about public health from disease-causing agents have 
resulted in the issuance of public health advisories warning of the 
dangers of eating fish caught in the sea.
  Because of its diverse ecosystem, the Salton Sea National Wildlife 
Refuge has been ranked among the top 10 of our Nation's 510 national 
refuges. It is of critical importance to the western region because of 
its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and Mexico. It is a key component in 
the Pacific flyway for millions of migratory water birds that rest at 
that refuge on their annual journeys to and from Canada and South 
America. So birds that touch down there may well also be dying 
elsewhere. However, an increased frequency and severity of massive die-
offs of thousands of waterfowl and shore birds and millions of fish 
have been occurring in the Salton Sea in recent years, and it's 
threatening the existence now of the entire regional ecosystem.
  The size of the calamity is mind-boggling. The mortality toll 
includes birds from every one of the species that visit the sea, 
including the endangered California brown pelican, with which I happen 
to be particularly enamored.
  The degradation of the Salton Sea ecosystem is also taking a toll on 
the economy of the surrounding area, and we have seen economic values 
drop off precipitously. There are some who believe it is too late to 
save the Salton Sea because the problems are too complex and too large. 
I don't share that point of view, and I am asking this body's support 
for increased efforts to address the sea's problems to prevent further 
degradation of this environmentally rich ecosystem and to preserve it 
for all time.
  Let me quickly mention a brief chronology of happenings. In 1992, 
more than 150,000 waterfowl, known as eared grebes, died from an 
undiagnosed cause. In 1996, a severe botulism outbreak killed more than 
15,000 birds, including more than 1,400 endangered brown pelicans. 
About 15 percent of the western race of the North American white 
pelican have perished in the last 2 years. That is 15 percent of the 
entire white pelican population of the west coast.
  Earlier this year, an outbreak of Newcastle disease decimated an 
entire nesting colony of nearly 2,000 double-crested cormorants. The 
destruction of the cormorant nesting colony on a small island less than 
100 yards long, which had been popular with the birds, shows how 
quickly death comes in this area. One week the island was alive with 
the sounds and sights of hundreds of nesting waterfowl, of eggs 
hatching and new fledglings checking out their surroundings. The next 
week they were all dead, every one of them. Today, all that is left are 
the skeletal remains and the rotting carcasses that dot the island. It 
is a macabre, tragic scene, as I think some of these photos begin to 
show. This is a bird skeleton in a nest. Right here you can see one of 
the bird skeletons and a baby carcass in the sand with a nearby pen, 
just to show you the size. There are just a few in this photo, but they 
dot the whole landscape.

  The birds died in their nests or where they collapsed in the sand, 
unable to fly or walk. So the scenes you see are depicted all over the 
island. Two of my staff members visited the Salton Sea recently--just a 
couple of weeks ago--and had to carefully pick their steps in order to 
avoid stepping on dead birds.
  Equally tragic is the sight of birds stricken with botulism which 
affects the nervous system. First they lose their ability to fly, and 
then the ability to stand upright or walk. Lastly, as the deadly 
disease progresses they become completely paralyzed and can no longer 
raise their heads, and they drown or they die of starvation.
  So the task of rescuing sick and dying birds and cleaning up the 
endless stream of carcasses is being handled by dedicated men and women 
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Salton Sea National 
Wildlife Refuge in Imperial County. I have the utmost respect for their 
work.
  Since last March, they have been bringing in boatloads--often three 
times a week--of stricken birds and carcasses of the dead that have 
been picked up throughout the sea. The death toll as of October 22 for 
this year stood at 6,792 birds, including 234 endangered California 
brown pelicans. The White pelican held by refuge worker, Marcos Orozco, 
rescued a week or so ago, and the other sick birds in the boat may have 
a chance to survive. They are the lucky ones who will undergo emergency 
treatment at the refuge's recently completed hospital in an attempt to 
stabilize them until they can be transferred to a volunteer 
organization's rehab facility in Orange County. If successful there 
they will be released back to the wild.
  Let's talk about the brown pelican that you see dead in this 
photograph. And you see part of the Salton Sea here with this small 
island and vastness behind it. Last year more than 1,400 of these birds 
perished in the waters and on the mud flats of the sea. For refugee 
worker Orozco, it was the first time in his 26-year career at the 
Salton Sea that he had seen a die-off of brown pelicans. However, the 
deaths are continuing, and the prospects are not good.
  ``It is not a pretty sight,'' notes refuge manager Clark Bloom who 
has observed grown persons breaking down and crying when they witnessed 
the sick and dying birds.
  My big concern here is that not enough is being done. And I am almost 
as sure as I am standing here that it is only a question of time before 
some of these micro-organisms also begin to impact people as well. 
Right now it is birds. But if it were people, I think the shouts would 
be deafening.
  And it is hard for me to imagine what 1 million dead fish floating on 
the surface of this lake must look like. But for Ken Sturm, the 
wildlife biologist at the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, the 
scene is one he will not forget.
  He reported that the lifeless mass of Tilapia, a popular sport fish 
which he observed at the northern end of the sea, extended more than 3 
miles in length. That was on September 8, about 6 weeks ago. But that 
isn't the beginning nor the end. On September 24, another floating mass 
of at least 1,000 dead fish was spotted at the southern end of the 
refuge.
  Scenes like this are commonplace along many shoreline areas, and in 
much larger numbers, I am sorry to say. A parasite which affects the 
gills of the fish is a prime suspect in some of the fish die-offs, but 
more scientific research is needed to pinpoint the exact cause.
  Another suspect which some experts believe could trigger conditions 
leading to the fish kills is a purplish algae like that shown in this 
photo. It doesn't look like much. But they believe it is a potentially 
deadly algae. I would hazard a guess that it probably comes from some 
chemical waste.

  There are some bright spots.
  The first, of course, is the staff of the Salton Sea National 
Wildlife Refuge. They have been doing a truly commendable job. However, 
they need additional resources, including boats and personnel, in order 
to respond adequately.
  Also, the Pacific wildlife project in Orange County, a volunteer 
group, deserves commendation. Ninety percent of the birds that are 
rescued would have perished without their care.
  Also noteworthy is the fact that private groups, agencies, and 
businesses in the area have contributed to date more than $60,000 this 
year in cash and services to finance construction of a field hospital 
for sick birds at the Federal refuge. Whether the sick white pelicans 
in the refuge that you see in the photo here make it or not is unknown. 
They have just been brought in from the sea and given emergency

[[Page S11220]]

treatment, and we will see if they survive.
  While these efforts are underway, the Federal Government and others 
are analyzing projects for restoration of the Salton Sea. This is where 
it gets very complicated.
  The Bureau of Reclamation in September of this year issued its final 
draft on the Salton Sea which evaluated 54 alternatives to improve the 
physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the sea. Five of those 
alternatives will be now considered further. The problem is no one 
agrees.
  The recently enacted 1998 Energy and Water appropriations bill 
includes $400,000 for the Bureau of Reclamation to continue its 
research project.
  The conference report in the fiscal year 1998 VA-HUD and independent 
agencies appropriations bill includes $6 million in the EPA's budget 
for continued research on the Salton Sea--now you are beginning to see 
the number of agencies that are coming into this--including $1 million 
for the University of Redlands and $5 million for the Salton Sea 
Authority.
  I have written letters, which I ask unanimous consent be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                  U.S. Senate,

                               Washington, DC, September 23, 1997.
     Hon. Franklin Raines,
     Director, Office of Management and Budget,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Director Raines: As you prepare the Administration's 
     budget for Fiscal Year 1999, I would like to bring to your 
     attention the need to provide $2 million to address the 
     environmental calamity which has struck the Salton Sea 
     ecosystem in Southern California.
       Disease outbreaks of catastrophic proportions have hit the 
     bird and fish populations at the inland lake which is a major 
     element of the migratory Pacific Flyway where some 49 bird 
     species are found. Unless corrective action is taken, experts 
     predict even more dire consequence which would mean the 
     destruction of the Sea's ecosystem within a decade, or 
     sooner.
       In order to deal with the immediate crisis and to formulate 
     actions needed to restore the Salton Sea ecosystem, the Fish 
     and Wildlife Service had identified a number of programs, 
     actions and equipment components in need of funding in Fiscal 
     Year 1999. They are summarized as follows:
       $1 million for operational support at the Salton Sea 
     National Wildlife Refuge to include $119,000 for four full-
     time equivalent employees (16 persons for a four month 
     period) to pick up dead, sick or dying birds, and for 
     sampling work; $25,000 for equipment and supplies, $88,000 
     for purchase of more cages, wildlife medical supplies and 
     equipment for a field hospital and rehabilitation center; 
     $40,000 for a new incinerator for disposal of dead wildlife 
     and to meet air quality standards; $125,000 for assignment of 
     a full-time science coordinator and one support person to the 
     Salton Sea to orchestrate the implementation of scientific 
     studies and associate field operations; $350,000 for modular 
     facilities for research and support staff to work on site; 
     $60,000 for purchase of two new air boats for field 
     operations; $40,000 for equipment maintenance that supports 
     operations such as vehicles and boat repairs and minor 
     equipment replacement; $183,000 for a short-term study to 
     provide information on how to understand factor driving the 
     current pelican/fish die-offs and methods for eliminating the 
     kills.
       $1 million for a Salton Sea Response Plan to included 
     $525,000 for hiring a team leader and assemble a interagency 
     team and to pay for consultant contracts; $115,000 for 
     miscellaneous office equipment rental or purchase; $125,000 
     for technical assistance contracts, such as a contract with 
     the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians to identify 
     Native American sites within the study area; $100,000 for 
     rental of temporary work space for team members; $85,000 for 
     conducting public scoping workshops, and $50,000 for printing 
     of a final plan.
       The catastrophic degradation of the Salton Sea ecosystem 
     has helped to focus national and local attention to the 
     problem, providing considerable momentum among various 
     agencies, interest groups and the public for addressing the 
     problem. The funding needs cited above are critical in 
     getting a start on restoration of the Salton Sea ecosystem 
     and preventing a recurrence of the devastation that has taken 
     such a heavy toll of waterfowl and fish. Therefore, I 
     respectfully request your cooperation in providing the $2 
     million for the Fish and Wildlife in the Fiscal Year 1999 
     budget request. Because of initiatives underway to further 
     identify critically needed scientific research associated 
     with restoration of the Salton Sea, additional funding 
     proposals will be brought to your attention as soon as they 
     are identified.
       Thank you for your attention to this matter, and for your 
     commitment to preserving our nation's precious natural 
     resources.
       With warmest personal regards.
           Sincerely yours,
                                                 Dianne Feinstein,
     U.S. Senator.
                                                                    ____

         Executive Office of the President, Office of Management 
           and Budget,
                                 Washington, DC, October 20, 1997.
     Hon. Dianne Feinstein,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Feinstein: Thank you for your letter regarding 
     the Fish and Wildlife Service's request for funding for the 
     Salton Sea ecosystem restoration. I appreciate your bringing 
     this matter to my attention, since OMB has just begun to 
     review Administration budget proposals for Fiscal Year 1999.
       In that process we have many important needs to address. 
     The information you provided will be helpful as we undertake 
     our evaluation of the Service's request. The Administration 
     will strive to fund as many important projects as possible 
     within the constraints of the Balanced Budget Agreement.
       Thank you again for your interest in this matter. If I can 
     provide further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact 
     me.
           Sincerely,
                                               Franklin D. Raines,
      Director.
                                                                    ____



                                                  U.S. Senate,

                               Washington, DC, September 23, 1997.
     Hon. Bruce Babbitt,
     Secretary, Department of the Interior,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Secretary: I am writing to ask your assistance 
     regarding the environmental crisis at the Salton Sea in 
     Southern California where the die-off of waterfowl and fish 
     has reached catastrophic proportions.
       Recent disease outbreaks in birds and fish at the Salton 
     Sea have brought local and national attention to the 
     degradation that is occurring to the ecosystem of this inland 
     lake which is a major stop for migratory water birds along 
     the Pacific Flyway. The scope of the devastation underscores 
     the need for immediate steps to save the Salton Sea and its 
     precious resources. Last year an outbreak of Newcastle 
     disease killed 14,000 birds, and the die-off is continuing 
     unabated. The bird mortality toll through September 15, for 
     example, was 6,293, including 182 endangered California brown 
     pelicans. Also, on September 8, a massive fish kill composed 
     of more than 1 million Tilipia extending over three miles in 
     length was observed by the biologist at the Salton Sea 
     National Wildlife Refuge.
       Several major engineering projects have been proposed by 
     various interests, including the Salton Sea Authority and 
     Congressional representatives for addressing the 
     deterioration of the inland lake. However, because of the 
     complexity of the problems confronting the Salton Sea, I 
     agree with experts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 
     others who stress the need to fully understand the ecosystem 
     and its problems before committing vast amounts of funds to 
     any single restoration project. In this regard, I believe it 
     is imperative that the report to Congress which the Bureau of 
     Reclamation is preparing on its findings and recommendations 
     for solving the Salton Sea's problems be completed as soon as 
     possible. I am hopeful that the bureau's report will contain 
     an action plan, and recommendations for funding of necessary 
     scientific studies associated with any proposed restoration 
     project.
       In that regard I respectfully ask your assistance in 
     calling on federal agencies with responsibility in the Salton 
     Sea to review and re-prioritize their FY 98 work programs so 
     that research tasks which are deemed most critical for 
     implementation of restoration projects can begin as soon as 
     possible. Also, because the Salton Sea is an environmental 
     and economic resource of regional and national significance, 
     I strongly believe that the federal, state and local 
     governments all must share in the responsibility for saving 
     the Sea and in paying for its restoration.
       In light of the environmental calamity which grips the 
     Salton Sea, and the need for immediate action to prevent 
     further degradation, I ask that you give your personal 
     attention to these matters. I have been informed that because 
     of limited staff and equipment, personnel to the Salton Sea 
     National Wildlife Refuge are hampered in their ability to 
     handle the rescue of waterfowl and in the cleanup and 
     disposal of dead birds. Therefore, I would appreciate your 
     consideration of what additional resources can be provided 
     for field operations at the Salton Sea to deal with the 
     massive die-off of birds and fish that is occurring there, 
     including reimbursement for the Pacific Wildlife Project for 
     the assistance in rehabilitation diseased birds. I believe it 
     is imperative that the federal agencies be given the 
     resources that they need to do the job and that wherever 
     possible, volunteer groups who have provided invaluable 
     service in rescuing and rehabilitating diseased birds, be 
     compensated for their expenses.
       Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. I am 
     committed to doing all that I can to ensure that the causes 
     of the environmental degradation of the Salton Sea are 
     identified and eliminated, and pledge to work with you to 
     make it a reality.
       With warmest personal regards.
           Sincerely yours,
                                                 Dianne Feinstein,
                                                     U.S. Senator.

[[Page S11221]]

     
                                                                    ____
                                                  U.S. Senate,

                               Washington, DC, September 19, 1997.
     Hon. John M. Bernal,
     Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission, El 
         Paso, TX.
       Dear Commissioner Bernal: I am writing to ask your 
     assistance in providing a progress report on the cleanup of 
     the New River pollution and in determining how completion of 
     the improvement project can be expedited.
       As you know, the cleanup of the New River is a critical 
     factor to the elimination of the environmental degradation of 
     the Salton Sea and the public health threat which the 
     pollution poses for residents of Imperial County and the 
     border region. Disease outbreaks among birds and fish at the 
     Salton Sea have brought local and national attention to the 
     degradation of the inland sea and the region's ecosystem. 
     Moreover, the mortality toll of fish and wildlife continues 
     to rise, and has served to heighten interests in finding 
     solutions that will result in the elimination of the complex 
     problems besetting the Salton Sea.
       Because of the concerns cited above, I respectfully request 
     your assistance in providing a progress and status report on 
     the short term and long-term New River pollution cleanup 
     measures which the IBWC is overseeing. I have been informed 
     that while much progress has been nade on the package of 11 
     so-called ``quick fix'' projects, that, because of technical 
     and other reasons, the project has taken longer than expected 
     to complete. I would appreciate information on the expected 
     completion date for all of the improvements. Also of interest 
     is the status of the other major work on upgrading of the 
     Mexicali I wastewater treatment plant and construction of the 
     new Mexicali II treatment plant.
       Because of the importance of these projects for reducing 
     New River pollution and other serious threats to the 
     environment and public health, I also ask that the IBWC, in 
     conjunction with its Mexico partners, do all that it can to 
     accelerate completion of the improvements and certification 
     by the Border Environment Cooperation Commission.
       Thank you for your cooperation. I also pledge to assist in 
     any way possible so please do not hesitate to contact me in 
     that regard.
       With warmest personal regards.
           Sincerely yours,
                                                 Dianne Feinstein,
                                                     U.S. Senator.

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. I thank the Chair.
  The first letter is to Frank Raines of OMB asking that 2 million 
additional dollars in fiscal year 1999 be included, and giving the 
rationale for those inclusions.
  I have received a letter dated October 20 indicating--and I thank him 
very much for that--that OMB is reviewing the request.
  I also have a letter dated September 23 to Bruce Babbitt of the 
Interior, and to John Bernal of the International Boundary and Water 
Commission. I have received no response to either of these letters.
  It is my view that the Department of the Interior should take this 
off of the back burner and put it on the front burner. And I would 
respectfully suggest that they utilize the same club-fed methodology 
that they have used I think with great success in handling California's 
water problems. This is where the Secretary of the Interior really 
takes the responsibility to pull together all of the disparate groups 
into a kind of working commitment to see that the right thing is done.
  My concern is that the die-off could continue for years, and the 
chemical and agricultural wastes continue to interface.
  If you fly above this river you will see where the river leaches out 
a crystalline substance into the agricultural heartland of the Imperial 
Valley. You will see where it directly abuts green field row crops. 
This I think is the potential danger in terms of the future for people 
working in that area, not only for blisters but also for something 
potentially much more serious.
  So I am hoping that Secretary Babbitt will elevate this into a club-
fed effort and that we can really get cracking.
  The House Subcommittee on Water and Power also held an oversight 
hearing in Palm Desert on October 3 of this year, a few weeks ago, 
helping to focus national and regional attention on the Salton Sea and 
the need for action. However, as I said, at this time there is no 
agreement on a plan. And the critical research must be done. But what 
is clear to me is that it must be expedited. We now have a die-off that 
has been going on throughout this decade, and is escalating. We now 
have identified microorganisms which yield typhoid, cholera, and 
tuberculosis, and other diseases in what is a 350-square-mile body of 
water which is polluted in a major and very sad way.
  So the longer a solution is delayed, Mr. President, the worse the 
situation will become.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________