Readers React: Restore the Salton Sea with ocean water

To the editor: The Times writes: “The price tag for stopping the sea from further shrinkage is estimated in the billions of dollars.... The ‘day of reckoning’ for the Salton Sea is close at hand.” (“‘Looming environmental crisis’ at Salton Sea prompts plea for help,” Nov. 21)

One solution that would not cost billions, and could in fact lead to a positive return, is piping in ocean water via the Colorado river bed and the channel that filled the Salton Sea in the first place. The water would have to be filtered to keep out unwanted marine creatures.

Energetically, the movement of the water should not be costly, since the Salton Sea lies lower than sea level.

A positive return on the investment can be expected once the Salton Sea becomes a productive resource, a recreational destination and an attraction for synergistic development. The cost of rescue also has to be compared with the ongoing financial drain that a dying Salton Sea would impose.

Siegfried Othmer, Woodland Hills

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