A surf resort. In a desert. During a drought. Really, Coachella Valley?

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La Quinta, California-Sept. 14, 2022-A new housing development, called Cantera at Coral Mountain goes up near Coral Mountain in La Quinta. A large wave pool / surf park is planned for Coral Mountain in La Quinta, California. Local residents are concerned about the development. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Construction on a new housing development, called Cantera at Coral Mountain, is in progress in La Quinta. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

To the editors: I am among the outraged by your article, “Surfing in the California desert? Developer’s plan sparks outrage over water use, drought.”

Apparently politicians beholden to developers will continue to allow projects like this to proceed until the rest of Southern California looks like the Coachella Valley, a desert with endless golf courses and water-intensive developments. The almighty dollar will continue to rule.

The surf pool in La Quinta is only the most egregious component of this proposed monstrosity. Do we need to be able to surf in the desert, when the state already has some of the best surfing in the world? I hope the developers will have overplayed their hand and someone with the power to stop these kinds of things will finally wake up.

Developments like this and Tejon Ranch in LA County’s arid far north are lining the pockets of politicians and developers and killing the rest of us slowly but surely. This is environmental murder, not suicide.

Bob Warnock, Los Angeles

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To the editors: This excellent article touched on the ancient shoreline of Lake Cahuilla, which once covered much of the Coachella and Imperial valleys. It should have also mentioned the threat posed by the drying Salton Sea.

The lake bed is saturated with toxic chemicals from decades of farm runoff. As the water recedes, the bed will dry and the chemicals will be blown throughout the area. The surf parks and golf courses will be deserted when the air is too deadly to breathe.

All the engineering and water going into playgrounds for the very wealthy should be dedicated to rescuing the Salton Sea.

David Middleton, Rancho Mirage

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To the editors: My neighbors and I recently got a notice that we needed to cut our water usage by 10%. We already have no lawn; we have sand.

And yet, close to us a surf park with a large wave pool is being contemplated? And Disney is building a neighborhood with a lagoon? Really?

Anne Winter, Palm Desert

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.