Failure to act on the many problems at the Salton Sea will cost the region billions in the coming decades, says a new report from the Pacific Institute. For years, this globally significant important bird area has been challenged by the poor management of its limited water resources:

Failure to revitalize the ailing Salton Sea would cost the region as much as $70 billion over the next three decades from lost habitat, plummeting property values and health problems caused by blowing dust, says the report.