State reports major 2025 progress on Salt and Sea restoration; officials flag water and health risks ahead

California Natural Resources Agency and State Water Resources Control Board officials presented a year‑end update on the state’s Salt and Sea program, describing major construction milestones in 2025 even as local leaders warned of looming water‑supply uncertainty and persistent public‑health concerns.

In opening remarks, Secretary Wade Crowoot said the administration’s investments have helped accelerate on‑the‑ground restoration, citing the State’s $140 million commitment and the newly filled portions of a 2,000‑acre species conservation habitat project. ‘‘If you build it, they will come,’’ he said, noting early fish and bird use of the newly inundated ponds and the role that restored water and vegetation play in suppressing dust. Natural Resources Agency assistant secretary Joe Sha and project staff described progress across wetland, pond and vegetation projects and highlighted a public data hub and a program of community tours and outreach.

The State Water Board’s senior environmental scientist, Stephanie Holstage, reviewed the legal framework that guides the work: a stipulated order that established annual acreage milestones for habitat and interim dust suppression through a 10‑year first phase. Holstage said California received the Natural Resources Agency’s 2025 annual report and posted it in English and Spanish as required by the order, and summarized the agency’s accounting of completed and interim acres.

Imperial Irrigation District water manager Tina Shields told the board that long‑term uncertainty on the Colorado River could materially reduce return flows that historically feed the Salt and Sea. ‘‘If there isn’t Colorado River water flowing to Imperial Valley agriculture, the Salt and Sea will have no runoff,’’ she said, urging federal action and cautioning that downstream planning must account for shorter‑term operating decisions on the river.

Board members and staff pressed project teams on monitoring and science. Staff said the program’s public data hub will be updated as new monitoring arrives and that teams are coordinating with USGS, regional air and water boards and the Army Corps on water‑quality and salinity sampling, pilot monitoring and adaptive management plans for large ponds.

Community members at the workshop praised restoration work but repeatedly urged the board and state to put public health first. Residents and community groups said asthma and other respiratory illnesses remain high in the Imperial and Coachella valleys and urged faster delivery of mitigation that produces near‑term benefits for nearby communities, including stronger coordination among state, local and federal agencies.

The Army Corps of Engineers reiterated that a separate federal feasibility study is underway to evaluate larger, multi‑phase restoration alternatives. Corps staff said they are screening options by ecological benefit, cost efficiency, constructability, mitigation needs and resilience to future inflow scenarios; several concepts — including ocean import and some water‑purchase options — were ruled out in early screening for legal, cost and risk reasons.

The board did not take formal action at the workshop. Staff said the meeting record and public comments will inform future work and that the board will continue its oversight role as state and federal partners advance both near‑term projects and the Army Corps study.

What’s next: State teams plan additional design and contracting steps through 2026 and 2027 for major projects (Bombay Beach wetlands, North Lake wetlands, Cane Springs) while coordinating hydrology, water‑quality monitoring and community engagement. The Army Corps study will complete further alternative analysis toward a draft Chief’s report and eventual recommendation to Congress for federal construction funding.