The Imperial County Air Pollution Control District has issued Notices of Violation ( NOV ) to several state agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The NOV's were issued to the California Department of Water Resources and the US FWS for failure to implement adequate dust control on the Salton Sea playa on the Species Conservation Habitat project near Westmorland. Since the Imperial Irrigation District and the U. S. Bureau of Land Management , as landowners of the site , were also issued Notices of Violation. According to the ICAPCD , all the agencies have failed to maintain adequate dust control on the project. Additional violations were issued to the BLM and FWS for failure to comply with the conformity provisions of the Federal Clean Air Act. 

The Species Conservation Habitat Project is located at the southern end of the Salton Sea in the area of the New River. The project will create a series of ponds with islands and areas of varying water depth to serve as fish and bird habitat. It will also reduce airborne dust caused by the playa exposed by the receding Salton Sea. The Department of Water Resources manages the project while the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service leases land parcels within the project area. According to the Air Pollution Control District , since July , the site has produced multiple events of excessive airborne dust , threatening public health and safety.