County-led Lithium Valley specific plan advances; draft EIR expected in mid-May

Brian Mooney, the managing principal for Rick Engineering, presented a draft of the Lithium Valley specific plan and associated timeline to the Brawley City Council on March 18. County and consultant teams said the plan focuses on large-scale mineral extraction, green industrial uses, manufacturing, logistics and conservation.

The specific plan is intended to cover tens of thousands of acres at the southern end of the Salton Sea. "We were asked to plan 50,000 acres at the foot of the Salton Sea," Mooney said, describing early scoping and the technical working groups that informed land-use alternatives. He said the preferred first phase covers about 25,000 acres, of which roughly 8,000 acres are proposed for conservation and the remainder for job-oriented uses.

The specific plan establishes vision and guiding principles that prioritize public health, local jobs and…