After decades of failed attempts to preserve California‘s endlessly troubled 120-year-old Salton Sea, a myriad of new plans to save the salt-riddled lake are taking form.
Scientists discovered a monumental 18 million tons of litium under the surface of the Southern Californian sea in late 2023 – a whopping $540billion find – however, they now face a race against time as the briny body of water is quickly vanishing.
The accidental inland sea, located 120 miles from San Diego, sprung to life approximately 120 years ago when the Colorado River breached an irrigation canal east of Palm Springs.
The sudden, shimmering water briefly created a tourist boom that lasted into the 1960s, though for much of the half-century, the lake could be better described as an ‘environmental disaster’.
Now, a new wave of conservation efforts, sparked by millions of dollars in federal funding, has washed ashore, sparking hope from some that incoming industry will bring an economic boom – if it all goes according to plan.
Under the previous presidential regime, the Golden State received ample conservation funding, however, under the newly installed Trump administration, threats to the approved funding loom.
Adding more uncertainty to the already delicate ecosystem, the multi-billion-dollar lithium find has set off a race between the public and private sectors to extract the valuable resource from the area as quick as possible – threatening the carefully laid plans to preserve the dying waterway.
And if a serious threat to funding wasn’t enough, time itself is also working against the decaying sea, thanks to its unique geography.
After decades of failed attempts to preserve California’s endlessly troubled 120-year-old Salton Sea (pictured), a new plan to save the salt-riddled lake is taking form
The sudden, shimmering water briefly created a tourist boom that lasted into the 1960s, though for much of the half-century, the lake could be better described as an ‘environmental disaster.’ Pictured: The beach by the Salton Sea filled with decaying fish and other wildlife
Due to the ever-increasing salinity of the remaining water, the terminal sea – meaning there is no outflow of water – is rapidly disappearing, making living conditions difficult for wildlife.
The lake’s region, designated as a ‘sump,’ receives harmful runoff from nearby farmland. The waterway has also been associated with emitting toxic dust, resulting in poor air quality and increased asthma levels in those who live close by.
Left unchecked, such issues could eventually make the entire region ‘uninhabitable’, according to the Salton Sea Authority.
However now, help to the in-need area has come in so many forms.
In 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation, run by the Department of the Interior, announced a $250million plan to help ‘accelerate Salton Sea restoration’.
A year later, in late 2023, a $70million check designated towards ongoing conservation efforts landed, with more just like that in line.
The first of many million-dollar installments will in part ‘be used to expand the state’s Species Conservation Habitat Project’.
‘The sprawling project plans to create a network of ponds and wetlands spanning over 4,000 acres to provide fish and bird habitat and suppress dust emissions,’ California State Governor Gavin Newsom said.
While the most recent iteration of the lake dates back to 1905, the Salton Basin area has received Colorado River runoff for thousands of years, swelling and drying out in cycles. Pictured: A person walks along the shore of the Salton Sea in California on March 21, 2025
Left unchecked, such issues could eventually make the entire region ‘uninhabitable,’ according to the Salton Sea Authority. Pictured: A dilapidated welcome sign is posted in Salton Sea Beach on March 21, 2025
The state of California, along with other agencies, now have until January 2026 to appoint more than a dozen members to the conservancy, CalMatters reported
An additional $2million was secured for the nearby Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians to help with program’s implementation.
In November 2024, the western most state passed Proposition 4 – the Climate Securing Bond – clinching over $10billion for various conservation and climate projects.
The monumental donation triggered another $170million for ‘Salton Sea restoration’, including an additional $10million for the creation of the Salton Sea Conservancy.
The enormous sums of cash have also inspired the bird-loving Audubon Society, which has secured over 560 acres to aid in ‘stabilizing, preserving and enhancing the existing emerging wetland’, SFGate reported.
‘This conservancy is a demonstration of the state’s commitment to meaningful and lasting restoration of this environmentally overburdened region,’ California Sen. Steve Padilla said.
The state of California, along with other agencies, now have until January 2026 to appoint more than a dozen members to the conservancy, CalMatters reported.
However, given the recent defunding parade, set off by the Trump administration, the promising influx of money could still shift.
But, Department of Interior officials have said that the funds are ‘obligated’ to Salton Sea projects at this time.
‘Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, the Department of the Interior is working to cut bureaucratic waste and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently,’ Bureau of Reclamation Regional Communications Chief Michelle Helms said.
‘Reclamation has announced and obligated $250million for the Salton Sea out of the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act of 2022]. To date, $35million has been expended. Reclamation is working with the State of California to fund projects as they are initiated,’ the statement, emailed to SFGate, reads.
Pictured: Artwork is scattered along the desolate shore of the Salton Sea in Bombay Beach
A race for the rights to the ‘world’s largest “white gold” mine’ ensues
Now a race for the rights to the ‘world’s largest “white gold” mine’ ensues.
The Salton Sea has been swarmed by companies large and small looking for cost-effective ways to extract the lithium from the troubled lake.
A study funded by the Department of Energy found the basin has even more lithium – dubbed white gold because of its soft, silvery-white look – than previously estimated.
The study, published in November 2023, found that there could be 18 million tons of extractable metal in the briny sea, which is enough to meet the US’s demand for the valuable metal, for decades.
Gov. Newsom has previously described the ‘salty sea’ as the Saudi Arabia of lithium mining.
It would also make the reservoir the largest in the world, overtaking Chile (nine million metric tons).
One ton of lithium is currently priced at $29,000, making the supply in the Salton Sea worth more than $540billion.
The DOE said the billion-dollar supply could support over 375 million electric vehicle batteries.
The study, published in November 2023, found that there could be 18 million tons of extractable metal in the briny sea, which is enough to meet the US’s demand for the valuable metal, for decades. Pictured: A view of the CE Leathers geothermal plant near the Salton Sea in Calipatria, California
The DOE said the billion-dollar supply could support over 375 million electric vehicle batteries. Pictured: A view of the Elmore Geothermal Facility near the Salton Sea in Calipatria, California
A management plan, climate bond funds, environmentalists and a Bureau of Reclamation partnership are all now flowing together to help California’s quickly receding lake
Lithium is a critical component for batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles and solar panels – and China has dominated the market for decades because 90 percent of the metal mined is refined in the nation.
Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, said: ‘Lithium is vital to decarbonizing the economy and meeting President Biden’s goals of 50 percent electric vehicle adoption by 2030.
‘This report confirms the once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a domestic lithium industry at home while also expanding clean, flexible electricity generation.
‘Using American innovation, we can lead the clean energy future, create jobs and a strong domestic supply chain, and boost our national energy security.’
The Salton Sea is 35 miles long, 15 miles wide and 51 feet deep, and located in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of California.
