The United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWF ) and the Imperial Irrigation District ( IID ) have been issued Notices of Violation ( NOV's ) by the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District.
The notices were issued because of work at the Red Hill Bay Project near Calipatria. The ICAPCD says that the USFWS and IID have failed to implement dust control on the Salton Sea playa during the project that is aimed at creating hundreds of acres of shallow marine wetlands and reducing airborne dust from the playa exposed by the receding Salton Sea.
The Red Hill Bay Project is located near the southeast corner of the Salton Sea. The property is owned by the IID and the project is a joint effort of the District and the USFWS. The County sys that construction on the site has been sporadic , causing numerous instances of elevated levels of airborne dust. The local APCD sys that as of this current month the site is still producing multiple events of excessive airborne dust violating APCD rules and threatening public health and safety. The local APCD says that they are committed to working with the IID and USFWS to bring them into conformity as soon as possible.