The Salton Sea's journey from a lively ecosystem to a vast ecological wasteland highlights the devastating effects of environmental neglect.

California's largest inland body of water, the Salton Sea, spans across Riverside and Imperial counties within the Imperial and Coachella valleys. With salinity levels more than 50% greater than the Pacific Ocean’s, the lake is rapidly evaporating, leaving behind salt where there once was water.

Once bustling with tourists and wildlife, the area surrounding the Salton Sea has now turned into ghost towns, a sad reflection of its former vibrancy.

Although the Salton Sea no longer attracts visitors, its evaporation continues to have significant repercussions for both humans and wildlife. High asthma rates in the region are believed to be linked to dust blown from the exposed lakebed, while fish and migratory bird populations continue to decline. So, what exactly is happening at the Salton Sea, and is there any effort to address the crisis?

What Is the Salton Sea?

Over the millennia, the Salton Sea has taken on various forms, shaped by the fluctuating flows of water from the Colorado River. Situated in the Salton Basin near the Mexican border, geological evidence reveals the lake has alternated between being mostly freshwater, salty, and at times, nearly dry.

The Salton Sea entered its current state during a dry period in 1905 when the Colorado River overflowed. Due to a mistake, the river breached its levees and flooded the desert valley for two years. This flood created the 400-square-mile (1,036-square-kilometer) inland lake, larger than Lake Tahoe.

In the 1920s, local farmers decided to redirect agricultural runoff into the Salton Sea. This decision extended the lake's lifespan longer than it would have naturally, given its location in a desert with temperatures frequently exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius).

Surprisingly, this accidental lake turned out to be a wildlife sanctuary. Birds flocked to the area, and various species of fish thrived in its waters. In 1930, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established the Salton Sea Wildlife Refuge to safeguard the ducks, geese, and shorebirds attracted to the lake.

The Salton Sea area continued to flourish during the 1940s and 1950s. Tourism boomed, and developers promoted it as the 'Salton Riviera,' constructing hotels, homes, and yacht clubs. Salton Sea State Park opened in 1955, becoming the second-largest state park in California. The California Department of Fish and Game successfully bred saltwater fish in the lake, supporting large populations of migratory birds.

However, the days of this desert paradise were numbered, and by the 1970s, the 'Salton Riviera' was on the verge of decline.

More 'Salton' Than Sea

Due to the lake's desert location, it has never received much rainfall. Additionally, most surrounding activities were agricultural, resulting in high levels of pesticide and fertilizer runoff into the lake. With no outlet, the contaminated water had nowhere to escape.

This led to a process known as eutrophication, where increased algae and bacteria created what are known as dead zones. The combination of these factors caused the lake's salinity to rise, and the high salt levels, along with eutrophication, resulted in massive fish die-offs.

By the 1990s, dead fish were found scattered along the lake's shores. Between December 1991 and April 1992, 150,000 eared grebes, a type of small waterbird, perished in the Salton Sea. Another 20,000 died in 1994.

By 1996, type C avian botulism claimed the lives of over 10,000 white and brown pelicans, along with nearly 10,000 other fish-eating birds. The largest reported die-off of an endangered species occurred, with over 1,000 endangered brown pelicans perishing. In the summer of 1999, eight million tilapia died in just one day.

As a result, tourism sharply declined. The lake's water level also decreased, partly due to evaporation and, ironically, a reduction in the agricultural runoff that had initially caused many of the environmental problems.

But Wait, It Gets Worse

In 2003, the situation worsened significantly. Southern California's water districts finally agreed to the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) after years of negotiation. This agreement stipulated that a substantial portion of Colorado River water, previously allocated for agricultural irrigation in the Imperial Valley, would now be redirected to urban areas in the Coachella Valley and San Diego for residential use.

To compensate for this water diversion, the agreement included a 15-year water restoration plan for the Salton Sea. It also provided financial incentives for Imperial Valley farmers to leave some of their land fallow, allowing the water they would have used for irrigation to flow into the Salton Sea instead.

However, this agreement expired on December 31, 2017, leaving the lake to continue its slow, ongoing process of drying up.

Before the expiration of the QSA agreement, the Salton Sea was already facing significant challenges. In 2012, a foul, sulfuric odor spread for hundreds of miles across Southern California. It was later determined that the smell originated from the decomposing fish remains in the lake. Moreover, the receding waters exposed vast areas of dry lake bed, resembling a giant stretch of barren beach.

"The exposed dirt has the potential to be blown by winds, which could increase the amount of dust in the air," explains Jill Johnston, Ph.D., an assistant professor in preventative medicine at the University of Southern California. "This airborne dust can enter the lungs, negatively affecting respiratory and cardiovascular health, as well as contributing to cognitive issues."

Johnston is leading a long-term research initiative titled 'The Salton Sea and Children's Health: Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment,' in collaboration with Shohreh Farzan, Ph.D. The project involves tracking the respiratory health of elementary school students living near the Salton Sea, monitoring how exposure to particulate matter may impact their health over time.

There is already evidence suggesting elevated asthma rates in the region. However, as Johnston emphasizes, correlation is not causation, which is why her study holds such significance. "The goal is to determine whether the dust from the Salton Sea is having a detrimental effect on the health of the local community," she says.

Promises Made, Promise Broken

Over the years, numerous proposals for remediation have been put forth, each promising a solution to the ongoing environmental issues at the Salton Sea.

A March 2019 editorial in the Los Angeles Times attributed the slow response to the lake's remote location, far from the urban centers where state policymakers typically focus. The Salton Sea also sits near the Mexican border and at the southern edge of the San Andreas Fault.

The Salton Sea Reclamation Act was passed by Congress with the aim of directing the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a feasibility study to be submitted to Congress by January 1, 2000 — but this plan never came to fruition. In 2003, Governor Gray Davis signed the Salton Sea Restoration Act and the Salton Sea Restoration Fund, but neither received funding.

In 2007, Senator Barbara Boxer granted permission for the Army Corps of Engineers to allocate up to $30 million towards Salton Sea projects. However, funding was not approved until 2015, when the Obama administration allocated a mere $200,000 for another study.

By 2008, California's Legislative Analyst's Office had rejected the state's $8.9 billion Salton Sea plan, which had been drafted and released in 2007. Later that year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill intended to expedite funding for Salton Sea restoration. Nevertheless, the $8.9 billion plan ultimately failed.

In January 2016, the California legislature finally approved $80 million for the Salton Sea, marking the largest allocation in the state's history. The following month, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced it would increase its annual spending from $300,000 to $3 million.

These announcements followed the release of the California Little Hoover Commission's report, which called on state officials to "take immediate action on the Salton Sea" due to the growing public health crisis it posed.

Despite these efforts, the funds are only a small portion of what is needed. California has since rolled out a new 10-year plan for the Salton Sea, projected to cost at least $383 million. The state has now shifted its focus away from restoration, acknowledging that it is too late for that.

The current strategy focuses on minimizing the harm to the ecosystem — as well as to the people, birds, and other creatures that inhabit the area. However, this goal will only be achievable if the plan receives complete financial backing.