Species Conservation Habitat (SCH)
Project Type
Aquatic Habitat
Lead Implementer
California Department of Water Resources
Other Organizations
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Natural Resources Agency, Imperial Irrigation District, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Project Primary Contact
Melinda Dorin (Melinda.Dorin@water.ca.gov)
Project Stage
Implementation
Duration
2020 - 2028
Aquatic Habitat
The approximately 10,000-acre project will provide important habitat for birds and fish and improve air quality at the Salton Sea. The SCH features include aquatic habitat ponds, berms, habitat features, water conveyance structures, and mixing and sedimentation basins. The SCH will provide feeding, resting, and breeding habitat for birds and fish, particularly fish-eating birds whose habitat is deteriorating quickly as the Sea recedes and becomes saltier. Emissive lakebed will be stabilized by covering exposed areas with water. The SCH has completed construction on several ponds (4,910 acres) and two ponds (2,010 acres) have been filled with a mixture of Salton Sea and New River water.
Key Accomplishments
- Fish and Wildlife Habitat Acres Counted Towards SWRCB WR 2017-0134 Target: 347.00 acres
- Endangered & Special Status Species Habitat: 28.00 acres
- Surface Roughening Conducted: 500.00 acres
- Aquatic Habitat Created: 347.00 acres
Program Phases
- Phase 1 10-Year Plan
Benefits
- Dust Suppression
- Habitat Enhancement
- Recreation
- Species Conservation
Endangered Species
- Desert Pupfish
- Yuma Ridgway's Rail
Habitat Types
- Managed Aquatic Habitat
A Saline Pump Station is under construction to pump saline water from the Salton Sea into mixing basins.
Location
Photos
Pupfish Monitoring (Timing: Before)
A Saline Pump Station is under construction to pump saline water from the Salton Sea into mixing basins. (Timing: During)
An excavator removes a diversion to allow New River water to flow into a holding basin. (Timing: During)
Aerial view looking North of the SCH New River diversion system, the East and West Sedimentation Basins, and the New River and its riparian vegetation. (Timing: During)
Aerial photo of the East Ponds taken on May 27, 2025 (Timing: After)
Project last updated 9/10/2025