How thirsty cities could put salt on your fruit

Water diversion supporters say the Salton Sea is a freak of nature to begin with, and ought to be allowed to die. The lake occupies a what was a dry prehistoric lake bed. In 1905, massive flooding caused the Colorado River to break through an irrigation canal and flow freely into the basin for 18 months. Because the area is below sea level, the captured water remained, and has since been supplemented by the flows of three other rivers – two of which serve as irrigation runoff from thousands of farms, a third – the New River – flows in from Mexico and is heavily polluted.

The strange history has led to the improbable: a beautiful, if somewhat smelly, body of water that supports huge populations of fish and migratory birds. The agricultural runoffs carry an amalgam of rich nutrients as well as some pesticide and an abundance of salt.

Because of all of this, the issue of water diversion is heightened. Federal and state endangered-species laws require agencies involved to mitigate negative impacts of such a water sale. And the sea bed toxicity raises concern that possible poison dust storms could violate the federal Clean Air Act.

"The exposure of this lake bed to prevailing winds here would cause more air pollution, threatening both crops and human life," says David Hogan, a researcher for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Besides San Diego, which badly needs the water for its expanding population, those lobbying for the diversion include Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. For several years, they've allowed California to take more than its allotment of Colorado River water. But a legal deadline of Dec. 31 this year looms, after which such states may sue California to cut back to its legal limit.

"There is a lot at stake here, as California is pressured to get back under its legal entitlement," says Bob Campbell, a specialist with the San Diego County Water Authority. The other states with legal claims on Colorado River water have faced three dry years, and dropping reservoirs at Lake Mead and Lake Powell. US Interior Secretary Gale Norton has already threatened to cut California's allocation by 800,000 acre-feet – enough to supply 1.5 million households for a year.

The Imperial Valley to San Diego transfer has been in the offing for several years. Deliveries would start to the San Diego area next summer, costing the water district there $64 million per year. Some farmers have fallowed their land in order to sell their lucrative water rights, a trend some worry could irreversibly damage agriculture in the region that produces a huge share of the nation's winter fruits and vegetables.

"We're afraid that the water will flow towards where the votes are, and there are more people in San Diego than here," says Al Kalin, a longtime Imperial Valley farmer. "The economy here certainly seems to take second place to population growth there."

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