California is stepping up efforts to restore key natural areas across the state, with projects aimed at reversing decades of environmental damage. Within that broader push, the Salton Sea stands out as one of the most significant cases due to its size, ecological importance, and severe long-term pollution challenges.
As part of that effort, the state has launched the Salton Sea Conservancy, a new agency tasked with overseeing restoration work, managing habitat recovery, and improving air quality around the shrinking inland lake in SoCal’s desert region, as reported by CalMatters.
The initiative marks the first new state conservancy created in more than 15 years, following the establishment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy in 2010.
Salton Sea restoration project
The Salton Sea restoration project addresses both public health and environmental challenges in the Imperial Valley. By keeping sections of the lakebed submerged, it helps reduce toxic dust that can spread into nearby communities.
At the same time, a gravity-flow system blends highly saline water from the Salton Sea with freshwater from the New River to maintain salinity levels that support fish species such as tilapia and the endangered desert pupfish.
Momentum increased in May 2025, when flooding of the East Pond Expansion began. The 750-acre addition pushed total operational habitat to more than 2,000 acres. By early 2026, construction of the next phase (covering the Center and West Ponds) had passed the 50% completion mark.
In March 2026, Audubon California reported a 15% rise in shorebird populations, including a record count of 250,000 birds in a single day. According to the Salton Sea Management Program progress data, the overall restoration footprint is expected to exceed 9,000 acres by 2028.
