Angela Chen
A new report by UCLA finds that conditions at the Salton Sea are worse than state data suggests.
As morning anchor Angela Chen shows us, scientists are highlighting a critical shortcoming in the government’s monitoring of harmful emissions.
Sara Renteria has lived in Mecca for 17 years and says that over time, the stink from the sea has wormed its way into her children’s bodies.
“During that time that I’ve been living here, I’ve met people who have also been sick and out of nowhere they get asthma,” said Renteria, speaking in Spanish to morning anchor Angela Chen. “These children who are bleeding from their noses – out of nowhere too. In fact, my daughter also has nosebleeds.”
On windy days, you can smell the rotten-egg stench blowing from the lake all the way to Palm Springs. That smell — hydrogen sulfide — is now at the center of scrutiny in two new briefs from UCLA.
“Our briefs primarily show that the pollution at the Salton Sea is much worse than what the government data suggests,” said Alejandra Lopez, one of the authors of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute briefs on the Salton Sea.
Previously, that stink was often dismissed as just that — a bad smell. But two new briefs from UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute report that the health impacts have been overlooked.
“Here within the valley, since it is so low level and it’s a chronic, consistent smell, it can be linked to many different public health issues, such as nausea, headaches, dizziness. Those are all things that can come from hydrogen sulfide,” said Juliana Taboada, the coordinator for the Thriving Salton Sea Communities Campaign of Alianza Coachella Valley.
As we show in our video animation, this is how the rotten-egg smell develops: the Salton Sea is largely replenished by agricultural runoff from nearby farms. That water is filled with pesticides and fertilizers. There is no fresh water flowing into the lake. The fertilizer and nutrients from the farm water runoff help plants at the bottom of the Salton Sea grow, which uses up oxygen in the water. When these plants decompose, bacteria require energy and oxygen to break them down. Because oxygen levels are too low, the bacteria use sulfate instead — producing hydrogen sulfide. On windy days, the air can mix with the water to spreads hydrogen sulfide into surrounding communities.
The briefs also say hydrogen sulfide emissions exceed what’s considered acceptable by the State of California.
UCLA, Alianza Coachella Valley, and other groups say they have a clearer picture because of their own high-frequency sensors that measure air and water quality directly over the Salton Sea versus government sensors, which are located farther away in surrounding cities.
“These conditions include toxic gas emissions and very poor water quality. Our findings highlight the need for immediate action from responsible agencies and enforcement of standards,” said Lopez.
News Channel 3 asked officials at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to respond — and had to push for answers. When asked if officials had even read the report or planned to take it seriously, the Air Resources Board said it didn’t know the methodology UCLA used — and therefore couldn’t comment.
“We would need to know more about the researchers’ methodology to be able to weigh in on the brief,” said CARB in a statement response to Chen’s email asking whether the agency had even seen any portion of the briefs or planned on taking the briefs seriously.
The CARB response goes on to say, “We agree more needs to be done to address the many issues related to pollution from the Salton Sea and are committed to working with the community to address concerns. The state is actively engaged with several researchers and research efforts on Salton Sea issues and takes these efforts very seriously.”
One thing is clear: conditions at some parts of the Salton Sea are not improving. Our News Channel 3 team noted a severe receding of the shoreline at the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club since we last visited two years ago. As of October, visitors could see a wide stretch of exposed lakebed and water that has turned brackish red.
The lake can appear red on some days because of active red algae blooms and bacteria that thrive in its harsh conditions.
“Our research came about back in 2020 when the Bureau of Reclamation stopped doing water quality assessments, and we wanted to kind of fill in that gap. Since then, we’ve been doing continual water quality monitoring,” said Lopez. “We know that the water is getting more concentrated in nutrients, as the only inflow of water is from agriculture use, but obviously with climate change and things we’re seeing within the last couple of years that it’s been really rapidly decreasing.”
“I grew up in Mecca, but the community that we reside in has been historically underinvested in,” said Taboada. “And unfortunately, I think the lake is a very good example of that. I think we have seen so many different intentions and plans, and while it’s really great to see that there is action being taken, the community members are often not put into those conversations.”
“We are Hispanic — and Hispanic communities are more often neglected,” said Renteria. “What I’d like to see is real change for the community and its well-being.”
UCLA, Alianza Coachella Valley, community members, and others are calling for the state to review — and actually enforce — its own hydrogen sulfide emission standards.
“There’s such a misconception of the Eastern Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea region, that this is like a post apocalyptic area where no one resides and people don’t live here. But that’s actually far from the truth,” said Taboada. “Community members and myself, we grew up here. This is where I’m from. This is a place that I talk about when I go to school, when I talk to my friends, people live here, and they’re always going to live here.”
Many of these residents don’t have the means to move — and they’re pleading with the state and those in charge to take action.
You can watch all of Angela Chen’s in-depth reporting on the Salton Sea, its health impacts, and ongoing lithium development at KESQ.com.
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