RESIDENTS ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SALTON SEA RESCUE.

Byline: Jim Matthews Special to the Daily News

Many of the promises they've heard to restore the Salton Sea have stagnated like the waters that compose California's largest inland body of water and most-productive fishery, here on the arid border of Riverside and Imperial counties.

But lakeside residents have renewed hope that the salinity of this desert oasis will finally be reduced and its water level stabilized to prevent flooding.

``The feeling is one of a lot of excitement,'' said Steve Horvitz, superintendent of the state parks' Salton Sea Sector. ``There is a light at the end of the tunnel and the light is real close and bright; it's just a matter of running through it.''

The revitalized faith stems from the keen interest in the region paid by federal lawmakers in the wake of the death of Rep. Sonny Bono, whose pet project was to restore the failing health of the Salton Sea.

A bipartisan Congressional delegation led by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich toured the area Jan. 16 and announced a multiyear Congressional plan to reduce the salinity and the amount of pollutants flowing into the lake.

``Our goals should be to have the Salton Sea have the most fish, the most birds and the most viable economy it can possibly have,'' said Gingrich in announcing the Salton Sea-Sonny Bono Restoration Project at the headquarters of the Salton Sea State Recreation Area headquarters.

Broad-based support for the plan extends from both houses of Congress and the president, he said. A bill supported by the Salton Sea Congressional Task Force is scheduled to be introduced by Gingrich next month. It will earmark funding for a three-part cleanup of the Salton Sea to maintain its fishery and wildlife values and enhance its economic value.

A breakdown of the plan was offered:

First, money already allocated will be used to build a New River water treatment facility to clean up the human, agricultural and industrial waste carried from Mexico into the sea.

Second, a cooperative effort among state and federal groups, and the local wildlife group Desert Wildlife Unlimited, will develop a complex of marshes along 50 miles of the New River to filter and clean the water more before it enters the sea.

Third, Congress is committed to decide quickly on one of two methods to begin stabilizing and then reducing the amount of salt in the Salton Sea, which, at times is saltier than the Pacific Ocean and has trouble sustaining its populations of corvina, tilapia, sargo and other salt-tolerant fish.

Stabilizing the salinity is by far the biggest and most expensive job, and Congress, in cooperation with local, state and federal officials, is evaluating two options.

The first revolves around pumping out Salton Sea water into diked areas or evaporation ponds and replacing that water with fresh water from the Colorado River. It is cost-effective and could be implemented quickly, officials said. The start-up cost would be from $300 million to $500 million, with an annual expense of $2.5 million for water for 13 years - the length of time to reduce salt amounts to levels similar to the Pacific - and then dropping to an annual level of $1.25 million.

The second salinity-decreasing consideration is to pump Gulf of California water into the sea or building a channel to the gulf. It would require cooperation with Mexico and be the more expensive initially, but would have the greatest long-term benefits.

The economic impact of a restored Salton Sea was estimated at from $6 billion to $10 billion, with an annual benefit of from $270 million to $360 million. So, officials noted, the cost of saving and maintaining the sea is small compared to the benefits.

The Salton Sea produces higher catch rates and more poundage of fish per sport angler than any other inland water in the state. It is also home to the largest population of wintering birds in the nation, with more than 1 million migrants stopping over each year.

``Sonny wanted his legacy to be saving the Salton Sea, and he would be so honored (to have the restoration named after him). He was a visionary and you always saw his visions come true,'' said Bono's widow, Mary Whitaker Bono. ``Let's just get it done.''

Daily News Outdoors Editor Brett Pauly contributed to this article.

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PHOTO (Color) An angler targets tilapia and corvina at the Salton Sea, which needs to have its salinity reduced.

Brett Pauly / Daily News