continues through the >>> the salton sea is the largest lake in california. it's is shrinking fast because of the drought. >> reporter: water once covered this vast desert which stretches for miles on the south shore of the salton sea in imperial county, california. >> the sea has receded to out about at this point. >> reporter: during the drought, the runoff from farming fields has dried up. environmental professor timothy krantz says that's left behind dirt filled with arsenic, pesticides and other dangerous chemicals. >> these particles are so fine that once they become airborne they can travel well over 100 miles. >> reporter: he warns the toxic dust can create an air quality disaster threatening the health of millions in the southwest many living in the area say that the dust is already making them sick. >> there have been a lot of respiratory issues that people have runny noses and coughing that aren't colds. >> you get this dust that can come up and then it will just kind of float away. >> reporter: environmental expert jessica laveque says the entire

i think second, the environmental issues revolving around the salton sea, drain water goes into the salon sea from the imperial irrigation district. we could save a lot of that water by creating fish sees in that irrigation district. but the environmental issues, it's related to the salton sea. and lastly the fact that salve under the 1968 project basin act does not take shortages, only arizona and colorado do. has created an unlevel playing field. i think we could use help on that issue finding a way to create more equity at this negotiating table. >> mr. connor comments on that? >> well, i do agree that the issues that tom has raised are the next wave of areas of collaboration that we have to deal with. and some of those issues are fairly tough which is why they haven't been resolved up to this point. the salton sea is certainly one of those areas. the -- but nonetheless, i can point in the colorado river basin where over the last 15 years we have had six or seven major agreements that have reduced water use, that have increased storage in lake mead, created institutional mechanisms to