"According to a September 2025 report issued by Comité Cívico del Valle and Earthworks, Controlled Thermal Resources' proposed lithium mining operation, the Hell's Kitchen Lithium and Power Project, will have significant environmental impacts on the surrounding area. The operation, which is still in the beginning stages, will divert at least 6,500 acre-feet of fresh water each year, straining natural resources in an arid region that's already struggling to combat drought."
"According to CCV, mining will speed up the recession of the Salton Sea's toxic shoreline, exacerbate dust pollution, and produce hazardous waste containing arsenic and lead. When this shoreline, or playa, is exposed, it brings asthma and respiratory illness to neighboring towns. Imperial Valley is already one of the most polluted air basins in California, CCV Executive Director Luis Olmedo told SFGATE in a written statement, adding that emergency pediatric visits and hospitalizations for asthma are double the state average."
Imperial County approved the Hell's Kitchen Lithium and Power Project in 2024, a multistage extraction operation by Controlled Thermal Resources located beside geothermal brine deposits at the Salton Sea's edge. The project will divert at least 6,500 acre-feet of fresh water annually, straining scarce resources in an already arid region. Mining will accelerate the recession of the Salton Sea's toxic shoreline, increase dust pollution, and produce hazardous waste containing arsenic and lead. Exposed playa dust contributes to asthma and respiratory illness in nearby towns. Imperial Valley already experiences some of California's worst air pollution and childhood asthma rates approaching 20%, doubling the state average.
Read at SFGATE
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