Quantifying the Fallout: Particulate Matter and Public Health at the Salton Sea

Increased Dust Pollution from Salton Sea’s Drying Lakebed

Research highlights that dust stirred by desert winds from the exposed Salton Sea bed significantly increases air pollution, disproportionately affecting nearby disadvantaged communities. The situation has worsened due to reduced water inflows, a consequence of water diversions for urban use in San Diego. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com

1. When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea’s exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California’s largest lake, a new research paper published today (May 29) in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds.
2. Disadvantaged communities have been affected more than others in the areas near the Salton Sea, which has been shrinking for years, said Eric Edwards, the paper’s co-leading author. He is an assistant professor of agricultural economics at the University of California, Davis.

An Overflowing River

The Salton Sea formed in 1905 after the Colorado River overflowed its banks and the floodwaters settled into what was known as the Salton Sink. It was primarily fed by water runoff from agricultural operations for almost a century. As the southern part of California struggled to meet growing water demand, the Imperial Irrigation District agreed to send water to San Diego for urban use.

• Imperial, which supplies water to vast desert farms as well as seven towns and two special districts, is the largest user of Colorado River water. The agreement with San Diego required agricultural water users to increase efficiency and reduce their water consumption, which reduced water running into the Salton Sea, Edwards said.
• The reductions increased the lake’s salt content, which is higher than in the Pacific Ocean. This also harmed wildlife habitats and created localized air pollution. The area is the subject of many environmental restoration projects.

Studying Implications

Edwards and others used a particle transport model to study the effects of changing water diversions on particulate pollution.

1. They found that the paths of fine particulate matter — which can cause asthma, heart and respiratory issues when inhaled — were associated with higher air pollution readings after Imperial began reducing runoff water to the Salton Sea around 2011 in order to transfer it to San Diego, a practice that continues today.
2. Researchers modeled lakebed exposure by dividing the lake’s shoreline into 1-square-kilometer grids and collected air pollution data daily for over 20 years, from 1998 to 2018.

Informing Decision-Makers

Edwards said policymakers and regulators should consider the health and environmental impacts of water diversions in their decision-making.

• “The drying up of the Salton Sea has serious health consequences that have generally fallen on more disadvantaged populations, who may not be well equipped to advocate for policies that improve their health,” he said.
• “Policymakers need to think about how to facilitate the movement of water via market transactions, which are essential, while also accounting for potential negative effects on the environment.”

Reference: “Water, dust, and environmental justice: The case of agricultural water diversions” by Ryan Abman, Eric C. Edwards and Danae Hernandez-Cortes, 29 May 2024, American Journal of Agricultural Economics. DOI: 10.1111/ajae.12472

Ryan Abman from San Diego State University and Dana Hernandez-Cortes from Arizona State University contributed equally with Edwards to the research and journal article.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture supported this research.

## Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Targets, and Indicators Analysis

### 1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

– **SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being**
– **SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation**
– **SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities**
– **SDG 13: Climate Action**

### 2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

– **SDG 3.9**: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
– **SDG 6.3**: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping, and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
– **SDG 11.6**: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
– **SDG 13.1**: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

### 3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

– Increase in air pollution levels due to dust stirred from the Salton Sea’s drying lakebed.
– Impact on disadvantaged communities near the Salton Sea.
– Reduction in water inflows into the Salton Sea.
– Higher salt content in the lake affecting wildlife habitats.
– Association of fine particulate matter with higher air pollution readings.
– Increase in asthma, heart, and respiratory issues due to inhaled pollutants.

### 4. Table Presentation

| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|—————————————–|—————————————————————————————————————–|——————————————————————————————————————————————|
| SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being | SDG 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and pollution | Increase in air pollution levels due to dust stirred from the Salton Sea’s drying lakebed. |
| SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation | SDG 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution | Reduction in water inflows into the Salton Sea. Higher salt content affecting wildlife habitats. |
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SDG 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse environmental impact of cities, including air quality | Impact on disadvantaged communities near the Salton Sea. Association of fine particulate matter with higher air pollution readings. |
| SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience to climate-related hazards | Increase in asthma, heart, and respiratory issues due to inhaled pollutants. |

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Fuente: scitechdaily.com

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