Salton Sea cleanup in jeopardy as states battle over Colorado River water
Updated 6:17 am, Wednesday, October 2, 2012
Photo: Stephen Burrows, San Diego Union-Tribune
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The Salton Sea in southern California.
The Salton Sea in southern California.
Photo: Stephen Burrows, San Diego Union-Tribune
Salton Sea cleanup in jeopardy as states battle over Colorado River water
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A federal lawsuit claiming the Salton Sea cleanup is at risk because the nation is diverting water from the Colorado River to farms in the Colorado River basin could go to trial as early as early November, attorneys for farmers and water users in the region have said.
In July, the U.S. District Court in San Diego rejected a preliminary injunction to halt the Salton Sea cleanup, which is set to begin next month.
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In court papers filed last week, attorneys for various water users in Riverside County and the Salton Sea basin said the State Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were diverting water from the Colorado River to California’s Central Valley so the State could deliver it to farmers there to help alleviate water shortages.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told the San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/WtIjq2 ) it is seeking a court order to halt the diversion until a court reviews a Clean Water Act violation lawsuit that could lead to fines.
The lawsuit is filed on behalf of San Diego-Carlsbad Water Authority, Blythe Irrigation District and others who contend federal law requires water diversion. The lawsuit claims the U.S. Department of Interior requires the diversion of water from the Colorado River basin. The lawsuit was filed late last year.
Attorney for San Diego-Carlsbad Water Authority, William W. Purdy III, said the diversion is taking water away from the Salton Sea and turning it into farmland.
“We would hope to file all of
