The Imperial Valley in southeastern California is a dry, dusty land of sand and crops growing in defiance of the will of nature. Passing through a town like Niland leaves one with a feeling of desolation that would not be unfit in the world of the Walking Dead. It’s the kind of place where the opening of a Burger King would be front page news complete with a countdown and progress photos. Those who have never spent time in a desert environment might have a hard time contemplating just how arid the landscape is. Suffice it to say, this is no place for Anakin Skywalker. Sand, after all, is “so coarse and rough and irritating” and gets all over the place. In the middle of all this dust and grit is something totally unexpected: a sea, glistening blue amidst the backdrop of the Orocopia Mountains to the northeast. It draws in the wary traveler, looking very inviting in this land where the Home of the Whopper might seem like an oasis.
The Salton Sea was created by accident in 1905 due to an irrigation accident. California State Parks explains: “Salton Sea was re-created in 1905 when high spring flooding on the Colorado River crashed the canal gates leading into the developing Imperial Valley. For the next 18 months the entire volume of the Colorado River rushed downward into the Salton Trough. By the time engineers were finally able to stop the breaching water in 1907, the Salton Sea had been born at 45 miles long and 20 miles wide — equaling about 130 miles of shoreline.” With a maximum depth of 52 feet, it is definitely possible to kayak on the lake. The jury is out on swimming in the sea, some say it is fine and you can find videos on YouTube of people doing just that (https://youtu.be/uS_zq-CROfI?si=7zWVLsvSowp4uWD5). However, there are just as many people saying it is not safe to swim. The California Water Resources Control Board issued a press release in 2021 advising that people not swim in the sea due to toxic algae. A dog died near this time after swimming. In any event, the water is often odorous and is extremely salty as the name implies so it’s not exactly an inviting dip.
From a distance, it appears that the sea is surrounded by white sandy beaches. On closer inspection, the “sand” is actually untold millions of fish bones, ground up into a crunchy seaside tableau, the result of a number of massive fish die offs over the years that have left the Salton largely devoid of life. Only the hardy Tilapia hang on, and only by a thread, in deltas where small rivers enter the sea. Abandoned structures ring the water, from houses, to boats to bars, leading to a landscape that would not be out of place in the Fallout video game universe, or Mad Max.
It wasn’t always this way. The sea is effectively the ghost of the Colorado Rivera, sprinkled with the heady leftovers of a time of boating, fishing and jet setting by the Palm Springs and Hollywood elite. The party was over by the 1970s, when a series of tropical storms struck the area and caused massive flooding. The rise and fall of the modern Salton Sea well documented in Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, which can be viewed on YouTube (https://youtu.be/8TjGAWxL23c?si=q9ptXNgN1nmGma9Z). It’s narrated by John Waters and comes highly recommended. Waters calls it a beautifully awful paradise, and I couldn’t agree more. In 2009, I convinced my wife and best friend to take a road trip there. We walked on fish skeletons, took in the desolation, and admired the improbable sights. My wife and I even kissed as the sun set. It’s fascinating and I recommend it for all those in search of oddity and beauty in strange places.
The future of the sea is uncertain. There are various government plans to “fix” the sea which has suffered greatly from water diversion. Sonny Bono was a champion of the area and there is a wildlife refuge on the southern end named in his honor. There is talk of lithium mining. One thing is for sure however, no matter what plan is undertaken, the sea will very likely never again be what it once was before it started to shrink. The irony is that if nothing is done, the neglected sea will have it’s final revenge, as it blows untold millions of tons of toxic dust onto the golf courses of Palm Springs. Maybe then, at that point, will the masses again turn their eye to the forgotten land to the south of Interstate 10, over the mountains, and near the lone casino. Maybe they’ll even get a Burger King.
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Sources:
CA State Parks: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=639
Water board press release https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2021/FINAL%20Salton%20Sea%20HABs%20advisory%20pdf.pdf