The Salton Sea is currently the largest lake in California and is located in southern Riverside and northern Imperial counties. It is a human-engineered terminal lake with a salinity that exceeds that of the ocean. Popular in its time for vacationing and tourism, the lake once offered community development, recreational opportunities, and habitat for many critical bird species. However, the lake’s lack of a natural water replenishing source and the extensive agricultural use of land surrounding it, have led to numerous environmental challenges. For example, there is a continuous occurrence of toxic pesticides and herbicides that migrate into the basin from nearby agricultural fields, which contaminate the water. Moreover, the water within the basin is continuously evaporating, resulting in higher concentrations of chemical contamination and salinity each year.
The Salton Sea formed in 1905 when excessive flooding caused an irrigation channel along the Colorado River to fail. As a result, hydraulic engineers allowed controlled water divergence to the basin (often referred to as the “Salton Trough” or “Salton Sink”) for over a year and a half. Eventually, the channel was sealed, cutting the basin off from its human-induced water-replenishing source. As a result, a large lake was left in the originally dry basin.
Hydraulic engineers presumed the new lake water would naturally evaporate over time, reducing the lake’s footprint. This is because natural precipitation and runoff rates in the area are less than evaporation rates in the body of water, creating a deficit in the water replenishment cycle. However, the pumped groundwater from nearby agricultural fields also drained into channel systems and eventually flowed directly into the basin. This artificial runoff system is significantly under budget for the lake’s water replenishment cycle. And unfortunately, has been highly contaminated with pesticides and herbicides that accumulate in the Salton Sea basin.
Since being cut off from its parent source, a Presidential Executive Order for the Salton Sea designates it as a collection basin for agricultural runoff in the Imperial, Coachella, and Mexicali valleys. The runoff causes eutrophication, killing almost all fish species and creating a very oxygen-poor environment. The water quality is poor, and worsening over time due to increasing salinity and continuous deposits from contaminated artificial runoff sources. With a third of the water evaporated within the last 25 years, the Salton Sea’s concentrations of toxins and salinity continue to increase to harmful levels. And as the lake continues to diminish, soil containing heavy metals and toxins will remain present in the environment.
Before the ecological failure and environmental disaster of the Salton Sea were realized, there were plans to urbanize the area. From the 1920s to the 1960s, communities emerged, and the Salton Sea became a very popular destination for tourists and Southern Californians. The lake offered a stocked saltwater fishery with a little more than five species of fish. Anglers experienced the “Salton Sea Fishery” as well, which once advertised a booming population of fish. Unfortunately, the abovementioned environmental hazards (increasing salinity and chemical pollution) lead to dead zones and mass species loss.
The remaining Salton Sea community still grapples with an ongoing environmental disaster. Despite the lake shrinking and the actual body of water impact, soil, and groundwater contamination concerns continue to grow. Strong winds in the area frequently carry toxins from the lake to neighboring communities, leading to air quality contamination and a heightened risk of respiratory illnesses. At the moment, scientists continue to monitor the area via environmental assessments, ecological impact studies, and water quality sampling. And Remedial action plans are underway to control the contamination until a feasible clean-up action can take place. Though discussions are ongoing for the restoration of the Salton Sea, nothing has been finalized yet.
Written By: Bruce Branstad Jr.
Edited By: Staff, June 10, 2024
The Historical Salton Sea Fishery The Salton Sea fishery is a historical part of the Salton Sea, California’s largest body of water and arguably, the largest environmental disaster to date. At a time before toxicity levels at the Salton Sea became problematic, many fish species were stocked into the lake for sport and commercial purposes….
