Lithium isn’t problematic on its own. They can take enough of it from the Salton Sea without any mining.
I want to note the lithium there is not from the Salton Sea itself, but from geothermal brines in the rock under the sea. The area is a place of active volcanism so the brines are quite hot and have dissolved many interesting minerals.
Lithiums are highly reactive and are never found in their pure form in nature.