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| SALTON SEA |
It's Sunday morning, and we are about to return to San Diego after enjoying a day at the BNP Paribus Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells, California. Ron suggested that we take a different scenic drive back instead of the normal two-and-a-half-hour freeway route. I was especially interested in taking a look at the shrinking Salton Sea.
It was a perfect March day in the 70s with plenty of sunshine. The route took us on Hwy 86 along the western side of the Salton Sea, which lies about 50 miles southeast of Palm Springs. As we approached the lake, our first impression was its magnitude and the beauty of the blue waters surrounded by the Chocolate, Santa Rosa, and the Orocopia Mountain ranges. In terms of surface, the Salton Sea is the largest lake in California. It's about 35 miles long and 15 miles wide and 250-feet below sea level.
As we were driving along, we noticed a turnoff sign to Desert Shores and couldn't resist a little detour to visit a town directly on the sea. The detour was one of the most fascinating I've ever taken, but also a sad one.
Unfortunately, it looked like a ghost town with everything abandoned and, surprisingly, no people around even on a Sunday afternoon. However, we noticed some rundown trailer camps that appeared to be occupied. Then we saw marinas on dry land with no boats in sight. Most of the homes were empty and falling apart. Those intact had been ransacked. Graffiti was prevalent. There were open dumps and an abandoned boat that was wedged into the ground. The white beach consisted of pulverized bones from fish that died here. On this March day, the air was clear and odorless.
Although we stopped at only one, there are other abandoned towns around the sea with similar scenarios. When looking out to the beautiful blue water with beaches that extend for miles, it was easy to see why people came here by the thousands at one time.
This town and others like it were once vibrant communities. Back in the 50s and 60s, the Salton Sea was the place to go. Tourists and Hollywood celebrities arrived by the thousands. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin led boat races with the Rat Pack and friends. The Pointer Sisters and the Beach Boys performed concerts here. Homes, hotels, schools, and businesses were built. It was a bustling recreation area with beaches, great fishing, and boating. Birds flocked to the area.
What turned this once vibrant area into a dying community with a shrinking sea and toxic dust in the air.
To begin with, the Salton Sea was created accidentally by the engineers of the California Development Company in 1905. They were attempting to increase water flow into the area for farming. Irrigation canals were dug from the Colorado River into the valley. The canals suffered silt buildup, so a cut was made in the bank of the Colorado River to further increase the water flow. The resulting outflow overwhelmed the engineered canal and the river flowed into the Salton Basin. It flowed for two years before the damage was repaired with tons of rocks. Consequently, the once dry lake bed became the largest lake in California, as well as a serious mistake.
In the 1970s the water level began rising from several years of heavy rains causing floods and damage to properties around the lake. The Salton Sea has no drainage outlet. Currently, there is almost zero rainfall in the area. It is fed by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo Rivers. Runoff flows from nearby farms are polluting the water. It is saltier than the Pacific Ocean. The depleted oxygen of the water and high saline levels have killed all of the fish, except for the hardy tilapia. Fluctuating water levels have caused floods through the years, including a major one in 1981. Toxic dust rising from the receding shoreline has lead to serious environmental concerns. The surrounding Imperial County has the highest rate of Asthma-related emergency room visits for children in California.
Concerns about the future of the Salton Sea date back almost 60 years. The Coachella Valley Historical Society has clippings and correspondence from owners of property near the sea in the 60s and 70s expressing concern about the environmental impact of energy development at the south end and the deteriorating quality of the water. An active "Saving the Sea" group was making proposals back in 1994 with no action being taken. To date, despite dozens of proposals, studies, and promises, nothing has been done, and the problems keep getting worse.
For anyone wishing more information on the subject, there are hundreds of postings on the internet. An article that gives a good summary of the topic was published in the June 10, 2017, issue of the USA TODAY, The Dying Salton Sea. On the lighter side, to hear what the locals of Bombay Beach have to say about their town, watch the video, Huell Howser: The Salton Sea.
It was a perfect March day in the 70s with plenty of sunshine. The route took us on Hwy 86 along the western side of the Salton Sea, which lies about 50 miles southeast of Palm Springs. As we approached the lake, our first impression was its magnitude and the beauty of the blue waters surrounded by the Chocolate, Santa Rosa, and the Orocopia Mountain ranges. In terms of surface, the Salton Sea is the largest lake in California. It's about 35 miles long and 15 miles wide and 250-feet below sea level.
Although we stopped at only one, there are other abandoned towns around the sea with similar scenarios. When looking out to the beautiful blue water with beaches that extend for miles, it was easy to see why people came here by the thousands at one time.
This town and others like it were once vibrant communities. Back in the 50s and 60s, the Salton Sea was the place to go. Tourists and Hollywood celebrities arrived by the thousands. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin led boat races with the Rat Pack and friends. The Pointer Sisters and the Beach Boys performed concerts here. Homes, hotels, schools, and businesses were built. It was a bustling recreation area with beaches, great fishing, and boating. Birds flocked to the area.
What turned this once vibrant area into a dying community with a shrinking sea and toxic dust in the air.
To begin with, the Salton Sea was created accidentally by the engineers of the California Development Company in 1905. They were attempting to increase water flow into the area for farming. Irrigation canals were dug from the Colorado River into the valley. The canals suffered silt buildup, so a cut was made in the bank of the Colorado River to further increase the water flow. The resulting outflow overwhelmed the engineered canal and the river flowed into the Salton Basin. It flowed for two years before the damage was repaired with tons of rocks. Consequently, the once dry lake bed became the largest lake in California, as well as a serious mistake.
In the 1970s the water level began rising from several years of heavy rains causing floods and damage to properties around the lake. The Salton Sea has no drainage outlet. Currently, there is almost zero rainfall in the area. It is fed by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo Rivers. Runoff flows from nearby farms are polluting the water. It is saltier than the Pacific Ocean. The depleted oxygen of the water and high saline levels have killed all of the fish, except for the hardy tilapia. Fluctuating water levels have caused floods through the years, including a major one in 1981. Toxic dust rising from the receding shoreline has lead to serious environmental concerns. The surrounding Imperial County has the highest rate of Asthma-related emergency room visits for children in California.
Concerns about the future of the Salton Sea date back almost 60 years. The Coachella Valley Historical Society has clippings and correspondence from owners of property near the sea in the 60s and 70s expressing concern about the environmental impact of energy development at the south end and the deteriorating quality of the water. An active "Saving the Sea" group was making proposals back in 1994 with no action being taken. To date, despite dozens of proposals, studies, and promises, nothing has been done, and the problems keep getting worse.
For anyone wishing more information on the subject, there are hundreds of postings on the internet. An article that gives a good summary of the topic was published in the June 10, 2017, issue of the USA TODAY, The Dying Salton Sea. On the lighter side, to hear what the locals of Bombay Beach have to say about their town, watch the video, Huell Howser: The Salton Sea.
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| ABANDONED BOAT WEDGED INTO THE GROUND |
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