FAQ
Where is the Salton Sea?
The Salton Sea is located in the Imperial and Riverside counties, east of San Diego and the Anza-Borrego Desert. The area is known to be dry and susceptible to high winds that cause dust to be blown into the air. If dust emissions increase as a result of the receding shoreline of the sea, residents in these counties may feel the health impacts.
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What is the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA)?
In 2003, the QSA was enacted to reduce the state’s water demand on the Colorado River. The resulting QSA water transfers require farming conservation methods that reduce agricultural runoff to the Salton Sea, reducing a major source of its inflow. For the first 15 years of this agreement, mitigation water was supplied to the Salton Sea by the QSA water agencies to make up for the loss to the lake. However, now that the mitigation water transfers have stopped, lake levels are expected to drop in the coming years. With reduced inflows and constant evaporation, the lake will shrink more quickly, exposing the dry lake bed.