to the editor: I want to thank the Los Angeles Times for publishing the article detailing how the health of residents living near the Salton Sea is being harmed by toxic dust released into the air as the lake dries up (“For water and mining policy near Salton Sea, consider the health of local children,” April 3). Recent studies have specifically shown that toxic dust from the receding Salton Sea coastline is significantly increasing cases of asthma and other respiratory diseases.
The Salton Sea is being forgotten in the negotiations over Colorado River water. It must be taken into account because it is creating an environmental disaster that is negatively impacting the air quality in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys and the health of its residents.
I would like to see a public workshop on the Salton Sea that specifically addresses the status of the Colorado River negotiations, the Lithium Valley, the economic and health impacts in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys, and the revival of imports from the Sea of Cortez.
Chuck Parker, Palm Desert
