A contentious lithium extraction project in Imperial County has led to pollution in wetlands connected to California’s Salton Sea, the largest saline lake in the state, according to a recent announcement from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA revealed on October 17 that it reached a settlement with Hell’s Kitchen Geothermal LLC (HKG) regarding dredging and ditching operations that adversely affected fragile wetlands in the area.
The construction, which began in November 2021 as part of HKG’s lithium mining initiative, was expected to bring substantial economic benefits to the impoverished Imperial County community, including billions of dollars in investment and thousands of job opportunities. However, the project has already shown negative effects on the region’s delicate ecosystems.
During an inspection in September 2022, EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials found that materials from HKG’s site had been discharged into approximately 27.2 acres of wetlands. This discharge diverted water from the wetlands, rendering them too shallow to perform their essential ecological functions. As part of the settlement, HKG is now mandated to restore the affected wetlands to their original condition, with the costs covered by the company, as stated by EPA spokesperson Michael Brogan.
A 2023 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory highlighted that the Salton Sea region holds an estimated 3,400 kilotons of lithium, sufficient to power 375 million electric vehicle batteries. This positions the area as one of the largest geothermal and critical minerals resource zones globally, according to Controlled Thermal Resources, the parent company of HKG.
Despite the potential economic benefits, environmental concerns continue to overshadow the project. The extraction of lithium-rich brine from deep underground is a complicated process that consumes significant amounts of water—an already scarce resource in the region. Officials have previously stated they could not disclose the precise water requirements for mining operations.
“EPA is committed to enforcing environmental laws and protecting the Salton Sea and its associated wetlands,” said Martha Guzman, the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator, in the October announcement. “The transition to a clean energy future is underway, and we want to ensure these projects comply with federal regulations.”
Representatives from HKG did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
