Congressman Ruiz touring Salton Sea

SALTON SEA, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-California) in the Imperial Valley on Thursday taking a tour of the Salton Sea to look at its current condition.

Ruiz was alongside Congressman Jared Huffman (D-California).

Huffman serves as a ranking member of the subcommittee on water, wildlife, and fishes.

This subcommittee oversees issues that impact the Salton Sea region.

On Thursday morning, Ruiz met with local organizations to talk about the poor air quality in the Imperial Valley as well as habitat restoration at the Salton Sea.

Ruiz talks about the current funding coming to the sea.

“We’ve had incredible success and momentum with the recent $250 million that was recently allocated towards the Salton Sea as part of the drought mitigation plan for IID. That’s a floor of resources from the federal government there’s more to come that we’re advocating for," said Representative Raul Ruiz.

Already millions of dollars have been put in to try and restore the Salton Sea.

Ruiz also toured several geothermal facilities in the area.