Wednesday October 21, 2026
KESQ —
For those who have written off the Salton Sea as an environmental ticking time bomb — or stink bomb — as it may be — the tide may now be turning.
Millions of dollars poured into restoration projects around the Salton Sea are bringing life back.
“This moment is different. It’s backed by real dollars, three-quarters of a billion dollars. It’s backed by projects that are basically a year old, where we’re already seeing so many birds come out that you can’t even see the ground,” said Joe Shea of the California Natural Resources Agency.
At the 2026 Salton Sea Summit — government leaders, think tanks, researchers, and more gathered at UCR Palm Desert to hear about the latest efforts to tackle the toxicity of the sea.
The theme this year, “Spotlight on Solutions.”