The State Water Resources Control Board tests the Sea twice a year and has not found pesticides at a significant level in the Sea. Pesticide levels are periodically found to be high at some drains, but the Sea s sheer volume and most pesticides ability to biodegrade seem to limit their impact. This was further validated with two independent studies conducted by the Salton Sea Science Subcommittee. This research indicated there were no pesticides in the sediment and water of the Salton Sea. A third study found extremely low levels of contaminants in the Sea s barnacles, a finding which surprised the researchers, because the levels were much lower than found in the waters of San Diego.
Selenium is a concern.
Selenium is a naturally occurring element in Colorado River water, the source of the vast majority of the Sea s water. Selenium is found at elevated levels in the inflows to the Sea and in the sediments of the deepest parts of the Sea. Yet in water taken from the Sea itself, selenium was found at about 1 microgram per liter. For comparison, the federal standard is 5 micrograms per liter, and, at Kesterson in Central California, the level was about 80 micrograms per liter. Still, the state issued an advisory in 1986 advising against the excessive consumption of fish from the Salton Sea.