[ Salton Sea... ]

Salton Sea

* ECOSYSTEM: A critical stop along the Pacific Flyway for more than 100,000 migratory birds, including a number of endangered species such as the California brown pelican, Yuma clapper rail and Mountain plover.

* FUTURE: During the next 20 years, the amount of water flowing into the lake will drop by 40 percent. Without action, the sea will shrink by more than 60 percent, exposing 134 square miles of lake bed to desert winds and causing its already high salinity level to triple and kill all the fish.

* PLAN FOR SURVIVAL: A draft proposal calls for spending $6.9 billion over 75 years. The state Water Resources Department will present a final version to the Legislature within the next two weeks.

Sources: California Department of Water Resources and The Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank

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