Senior Associate
Pacific Institute
Bio:
Michael Cohen is a Senior Associate at the Pacific Institute, a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California. He has been a leading Salton Sea advocate for more than 20 years, developing revitalization proposals, promoting timely intervention, and writing articles, reports, and opinion pieces. Mr. Cohen is the lead author of three Pacific Institute reports on the Salton Sea: Haven or Hazard: The Ecology and Future of the Salton Sea (1999), Hazard: The Future of the Salton Sea With No Restoration Project (2006), and Hazard’s Toll: The Costs of Inaction at the Salton Sea (2014), as well as an assessment of import/export proposals (see pacinst.org/issues/salton-sea/ for more information). He served on the Natural Resources Agency’s Salton Sea Advisory Committee from 2004-2007 and is a member of the Salton Sea Task Force’s Agency Stakeholder Committee and several of its workgroups. Mr. Cohen has a Master’s degree in Geography, with a concentration in Resources and Environmental Quality, from San Diego State University, and a B.A. in Government from Cornell University.
Title: Progress at the Salton Sea?
Abstract: California’s Salton Sea sees increasing attention—especially around the prospect of lithium recovery—and the start of its first large habitat project. The nation’s largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer, combined with several other factors, has caused the Sea’s elevation to fall by more than ten feet in the past 18 years. As a result, the Sea’s already high salinity (>70 g/L TDS) will more than double as the lake’s surface drops by >14 feet, exposing >70 square miles of playa, in turn exacerbating already poor air-quality in the region. In November, 2017, California committed to the construction of 29,800 acres of habitat and dust-control projects by 2028. Yet California has missed its acreage milestones every year. Fortunately, the state has committed about three-quarters of a billion dollars to the Salton Sea, has recently increased its staffing and capacity, and hired a design-build contractor that is working on a 4100-acre habitat project.
New challenges and opportunities affect this dynamic system. The adoption of Colorado River drought contingency plans and the recent 500+ plan, as well as the continuing decline in Colorado River storage, could further reduce inflows to the Sea and accelerate the public and environmental health impacts of a shrinking Sea. Several companies are exploring the potential to recover lithium from deep wells in the area, generating interest and a potential revenue stream. Community groups increasingly demand that the state engage with them and incorporate local needs into the planning process, offering the prospect of multi-benefit projects.