The Salton Sea Disgrace

[NW Admin]

The Salton Sea, actually a massive salt lake, is in California. This lake has been through so much over the centuries that it has one heck of a story to tell.

It was created by repeated flooding of the Colorado river which added to the already existing lake. This continued until a dam was built to control the flooding. Irrigation was then set up off of the Colorado river for farming in the surrounding areas.

It started out being discovered as a great location for recreation and housing. A community thrived off the shores of the lake. Fishing was abundant and wildlife was healthy.

Over time, since the water supply to the lake had been cut off, it started to dry out. On top of that, irrigation run off was contaminating the water. This led to the salinity levels increasing to a dangerous level.

The area is then hit by severe tropical storms and 7 years of heavy rain periods, increasing the salton sea level tremendously and destroying a lot of the community and resorts surrounding it. These communities are abandoned by all but those who cannot afford to move. This leaves a ghost town of destruction and decay and people living in terrible conditions. Salinity of the Salton Sea increases even more.

In 1986, advisories are now sent out advising residents to limit their intake of fish and wildlife in that area.

1992 brings on the mass die off of 150,000 eared grebes causing immediate media attention.

Salinity continues to increase. Committees are formed, plans are made, but nothing is successful in resolving the situation.

In August 1999 algae has become so thick that 7.6 million Croakers & Tilapia die off due to oxygen depletion, destroying one of the most productive fisheries in the world.

With the fish die off, dead fish cover the beaches, promoting the growth of disease and bacteria. Wild birds consume the dead/dying fish and become ill themselves with avian botulism. The beaches are no longer sand. They are the scales and bones of dead fish.

Today, committees of the Salton Sea are still in efforts to repair and get it back to a healthy state, but the problems are still there. Over irrigation, water supply problems, high salinity levels, fish die-offs, bird die-offs, etc. still continue.

I discovered all this after watching a documentary on HBO about the Salton Sea. If you have not seen it... you absolutely MUST. It is shocking to see what it's been through and the current conditions and how ignorant people have been. You really should watch it. Here is a link to the documentary's site. I am not trying to promote advertisement, but I think it's something that everyone should watch for the sake of the environment.

Salton Sea Documentary

I noticed that the state of California and other government sites that provide information on the Salton Sea really down play all these events. This is why I feel you should watch this documentary. It really shows the reality of it all. I am including some pictures taken of the Salton Sea. They are terrible.

[NW Admin]

I posted a while back about the tragedy of the Salton Sea. What sparked my interest in the Salton Sea was a documentary movie I saw on HBO. It's a very good video and I highly recommend it. It shows amazing footage of the terrible condition the Salton Sea was left in and also historic images that you just wouldn't believe. Watch it for yourself and you will agree.

Amazon.com: Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea: John Waters, Sonny Bono, Friends of Dean Martinez, Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer: Movies & TV