Bono Mack pursues solutions at the Salton Sea

Chair of the Congressional Salton Sea Task Force, Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) today emphasized the importance of restoring the Salton Sea and discussed options for use of approved federal funding with Colonel Thomas Magness, District Commander of the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (which includes Riverside County and the Salton Sea), and members of the Salton Sea Authority.  Saying that increased cooperation on all levels is critical for meaningful restoration, Bono Mack has encouraged the Army Corps to work with other Federal agencies, especially given their expertise in environmental restoration and engineering efforts that have yielded beneficial results throughout the region.

 Following the meeting, Bono Mack toured the Salton Sea and ongoing projects at the Sea with representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Salton Sea Authority.

 “It is critical that we move forward with projects at the Salton Sea and work to ensure meaningful restoration that will help improve quality of life and protect our region’s diverse wildlife,” said Bono Mack.  “The USGS, Bureau of Reclamation and other Federal Agencies have developed an impressive amount of information relating to the science at the Sea.  In addition to confirming that this area is truly a unique environmental resource, both State and Federal studies have clearly shown that we need to act in order to address decreased inflows which will start in 2017.

 “Any new projects underway at the Sea will lay the foundation for the larger State efforts to move forward on a plan to restore this body of water.  But we will also see the benefits in the form of new jobs, while also ensuring that we protect ourselves from a serious potential health threat as more shoreline becomes exposed in the years ahead.

 “I remain committed to working with the Salton Sea Authority, Army Corps of Engineers, the State of California, the Bureau of Reclamation, USGS, and others to get moving on projects that we can begin in the short term.  Only by working together on all levels — local, state, and federal — will we be able to get the job done right.”

 Background:   Bono Mack, along with the support of Senator Barbara Boxer, was able to secure $30 million in authorized funding for restoration pilot projects at the Salton Sea.  The projects were funded within H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act which Bono Mack supported and voted to override President Bush’s veto of the measure.