Governor Newsom to visit Salton Sea for update on lithium production
Governor Gavin Newsom will join local leaders on Monday for a visit to Imperial Valley. He will get an update on progress being made toward lithium production. Lithium is the material essential to battery production. Imperial Valley contains some of the largest lithium deposits in the world, specifically underground near the Salton Sea, a region also known as Lithium Valley. The Salton Sea was once a top tourist destination, attracting some of old Hollywood’s biggest names, but over the past few decades, it’s become an ecological disaster. Evaporation and agricultural runoff have exposed toxins in the lakebed and created a perfect environment for dangerous algae blooms and bacteria to thrive.