Science and policy dilemmas in the management of agricultural waste waters: the case of the Salton Sea, CA, USA

The impact of freshwater and wastewater irrigation on the chemistry of shallow groundwater: a case study from the Israeli Coastal Aquifer

“…Anthropogenic contamination is another major cause of salinization and water-quality degradation. One of its most pronounced impacts is increase in the nitrate concentration which is derived from infiltration of sewage effluents, industrial wastes and agriculture return flows (Hern and Feltz, 1998;Hao and Change, 2002;Glen et al, 1999;Mitchel et al, 2000;DeSimone et al, 1997;Vengosh and Keren, 1996). Part of the nitrate contamination is from natural nitrogen (N) in the soil, released to the unsaturated zone due to intense cultivation of virgin soil.…”

Integrated management in coastal lagoons of highly complexity environments: Resilience comparative analysis for three case-studies

“…3). Mainly due to the effects of agricultural activity, its ecosystem is now severely damaged, saturated with salts and pesticides (Glenn et al, 1999). The Salton Sea is naturally salty, but the surrounding land is balanced with salts deposited by an ancient sea (which disappeared millennia ago).…”

“…Authorities, through the Salton Sea land Act (Salton Sea Authority and Bureau of Reclamation, 1998) have planned great works seeking the lake's rehabilitation for 75 years (Cohen et al, 1999). California's Salton Sea Authority and the United States Bureau of Reclamation, leading agencies on the Salton Sea Restoration Project, have enumerated five project goals combining human activities with environmental recovery: to maintain the Salton Sea as a repository for agricultural drainage water; to provide a safe, productive environment for birds and endangered species; restore recreational uses; maintain a sport fishery; and provide opportunities for economic development along the shoreline (Glenn et al, 1999;United States Bureau of Reclamation, 1998). We are thus faced with a context in which the environment to manage provides a more mature situation in which the time to reverse the effects created is significantly longer than the time that motivated its impairment, but in which the maintenance of economic activities is not refused.…”

Sustainability Research Project: Research of Suitable Locations, Design and Operation of Microalgae Production Plants for Biofuel’s

“…All together, about 35% of the irrigation water applied to fields in the Imperial and Coachella Valley irrigation districts enters the Salton Sea as agricultural wastewater [21] (Glen E., Cohen J., Morrison J., Valdes-Casillas C. & Fitzsimmons K. 1999). The viability of a combination a "Partitioned Aquaculture System" (PAS) and a at Salton Lake "Controlled Eutriphication Process" (CEP) appears achievable.…”

“…The Salton Sea has a growing environmental issue in salinity build up threatening its viable long term future for microalgae biofuel production. As salinity increases, the reproductive fitness of organisms making up the present food chain will decrease [21] (Glen E, Cohen J, Morrison J, Valdes-Casillas C & Fitzsimmons K 1999).…”