California's Salton Sea

Another interesting place we visited on our recent trip to California, was the Salton Sea, a basin of water below sea level located on the San Andreas Fault.

The lake (or sea) has a long history, which I don't completely understand. I think it was a lake (or salt-water sea) on various occasions in prehistoric times, but would then dry out. The saline soil around it attests to its previous life as a body of salt water.

When we visited the information center, we were told that the current lake was created in 1905 by engineers trying to fill a basin with water from the Colorado River, to create a controlled body of water to provide water for irrigation.

The river accidentally broke through a canal, and for two years the Colorado River ran into the basin, creating this sea. That had repercussions elsewhere, as well as here - where desert towns were sudden flooded. Eventually the problem was repaired.

In the 1950's it became a popular tourist attraction in the desert, attracting weekend fishermen and boaters.

Since then, it has decreased in size and become increasingly saline. Consequently many of its fish are dying. The beach is littered with dead tilapia that, from a distance, look like flat stones.







Birds still nest on its shores.

Currently the lake is being filled with irrigation runoff (which probably makes it even more saline, given that irrigation water carries fertilizers in it).

The environmental goal is to keep the Salton Sea at its current level, which is a challenge: Water evaporates quickly in this hot, dry desert location.