California’s Salton Sea

The endangered Salton Sea is evaporating, leaving behind a toxic storm. The Salton Sea is located southeast of Palm Springs, California and north of Mexicali near the Imperial Valley. This inland sea was created in 1905 by waters flowing from the Colorado River, which historically wandered outside its normal river bed during periods of floods. However the only source of water to maintain its water level is run-off from the Imperial Valley agricultural area and this water comes laden with salt, silt and a variety of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The chemical additives become more concentrated as the water evaporates. And evaporation rates are very high in the hot, sunny desert. In 2018, the water that flows to Salton Sea will be cut-off due to the prolonged drought and this will accelerate the shrinkage of the Salton Sea and exacerbate the problem of toxic contamination as thousands of acres of toxic land exposed to the air and wind.