Greywater drain line proposed for Salton Sea restoration

HOPING ALL THAT DETERGENT WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SMELL, SALTON SEA — More and more, Imperial County farmers let their fields go fallow so they can sell their increasingly valuable water supplies to municipal districts. That's good news for thirsty, dirty San Diegans, but it has brought about an unintended consequence: less agricultural runoff going into the Salton Sea. Less water means a shrinking sea, and a shrinking sea means more and more potentially toxic dust being picked up off the former seabed and blown into the lungs of innocent Southern Californians.

The situation has been deemed serious enough for Mayor Faulconer to ask the City Council to consider a water bill rebate for all residents who volunteer to tie into a municipal greywater drain that would carry the city's sink, dishwasher, and washing machine water east to the sea. "Being water-wise means being willing to innovate," said Faulconer in his address. "And since Salton Sea is 266 feet below sea level, we won't even have to worry about pumping costs!"