OK I was looking on the internet and basically what I know is the Salton Sea was really just a big depression. In the past sometimes the Colorado River would flood and some water would spill over into the then called, Salton Sink.
But then it dried up.
So around the beginning of the 1900s somehow the Colorado River was diverted so instead of flowing to the Gulf of California, it went all into the Salton Sink, now the Salton Sea for almost 2 years.
Then the Southern Pacific Railway threw boxcars in the Colorado River and put it back on course to flow out of the Gulf Of California.
Here’s some questions. Why doesn’t the Salton Sea just dry up, if the Colorado River doesn’t flow there. In fact as I understand it the Colorado River doesn’t even reach the Gulf Of California anymore, as all the water is taken out of the river.
How did the fish get into the Salton Sea? The article mentions fishing, but since the Salton Sea is salt water and saltier than the ocean, someone must have put the fish there right? As any fish from the Colorado would be fresh water.
Finally what is the sea like? I read basically the New River, that flows thru Mexicali is so polluted from the lack of environmental controls at Mexicali that the Salton Sea is full of pollution.
Anything else anyone has to share would be appreicated.
California’s Salton Sea Authority has a website that includes a history (including the information that the Salton Sink was only dry for fewer than 300 years and the note that the current level of water is maintained by runoff from the agriculture in the flanking valleys) and a debunking of several myths regarding the sea.
It’s filled with the dehydrated eggs of giant sea snails, just waiting for water to reconstitute them back tyo life, as recorded in the excellent documentary The Monster that Challenged the World.
CalMeacham and BwanaBob
I knew somebody would notice Salton Sea and immediately think of “Monster That Challenged The World”. (and beat me to the punch of mentioning it myself)
As you both may know there was also a film called “Salton Sea” released a few years ago starring Val Kilmer. However, it doesn’t go into any detail about the All American Canal, the Imperial Valley, etc and I think the actual Sea is only shown in the final scene.
Therefore, “Monster That Challenged The World” remains the definitive Salton Sea movie.
Sorry for the off-topic posting but it was a story that had to be told.
Having visited the Salton Sea, I can testify that it is really really ugly. There are no trees. It’s grey. The water is grey. There are no fish visible, and looking at hte slightly foamy (soap?) grey water, I wouldn’t eat one if there were any. Very depressing. Don’t go there.
The Salton Sea is one of my pet interests. Much of what I might have added has already been posted. However I will add this. There is a terrific independent documentary floating around the indie film circuit called **“The Plagues and Pleasures of the Salton Sea.” ** It covers the history, and also the current enviormental and social woes of the place. Most interestingly, it describes the heyday of the Salton Sea, when it was called the “Riviera of the West,” or somesuch title. Fascinating and sad.
Sad indeed. Circa 1960 it was a popular resort, and many L.A. celebrities kept boats there. The Salton Bay Yacht Club (open to the public) had a restaurant and cocktail lounge (“with a beautiful view of the Sea!”) . I imagine being pleasantly tired from a day of kayaking, boating, and fishing, and enjoying a Martini in that lounge, with Ellington and Armstrong’s rendition of “You Go To My Head” playing in the background.
Believe it or not, I think people still do fish there. The fish are corvinas, which where introduced, IIRC, in the 1950s, from the Sea of Cortez. But the experience has gone downmarket. The hotels and restaurants are gone; tacky trailers and camping out are now de rigeur.
Before I retired I used to get down there once or twice a year. Just north and south of the SS it is very verdant, mostly due to irrigation. I think it’s a destination for some snowbirds. The area around the SS is desert and has a kind of beauty found in desert settings. I’ve been on both sides, east and west. The east side is more interesting to me.