Media Statement
October 18, 2004
For Immediate Release
The following information has been released by the Imperial Group (http://www.imperialgroup.info), whose members are agricultural landowners in the Imperial Valley. The Imperial Group is part of the Salton Sea Restoration Consortium which is made up of landowners and experts in water management and environmental issues.
The Salton Sea Restoration Consortium (SSRC) has submitted a plan for restoring the Salton Sea to the State Department of Water Resources (DWR). The DWR will review the plan in the context of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Called the "Cascade Plan", the SSRC's approach is to structure the Salton Sea into a series of water-connected terraces. Doing so will improve water quality in the Salton Sea, restore the lakeÕs role as an environmental resource, reduce the amount of water diverted from agriculture to the lake, and create opportunities for waterfront development utilizing the Salton Sea as a visual and recreational amenity.
The Cascade Plan has the advantage of costing less to implement than other plans. The SSRC also believes the Cascade Plan will provide broader benefits to the Imperial Valley. One of the options for financing the Cascade Plan would be the establishment of a public/private partnership.
The Salton Sea Authority (SSA) has also submitted a restoration proposal called the "North Lake Plan." That approach would divide the Salton Sea into two lakes separated by a dike. The North Lake would be deeper than the southern portion of the sea.
The SSRC is made up of The Imperial Group, which represents agricultural landowners in the Imperial Valley, and two companies with world-wide reputations for handling large-scale hydrological projects. The companies are: Dutra Group of San Rafael, CA www.dutragroup.com; and Bean Stuyvesant of New Orleans, LA www.cfbean.com.
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For media information, contact:
Irv Hamilton
ih@avisoinc.com
(510) 865-5100 x.124
ih@avisoinc.com
Or
Dianne Newton-Shaw
di@avisoinc.com
(510) 865-5100
