​

The Salton Sea is an endorheic rift lake on the San Andreas Fault line in the Coachella valleys of California.  The Sea was created in 1905 by accident, the Colorado River swelled, breached its levees and flooded the desert ecosystem. At one time Califonia's largest lake, it was full of activity and home to many. Rain brought agricultural runoff which accumulated in high concentrations within the lake. With a consistently increasing salinity, it currently contains nearly twice the salt content of the ocean. These factors eventually decimated most animal life, leaving beaches littered with fish and bird carcasses.

 

I first visited this area in October 2011 and took some film negatives. The weather was warm but bearable. The air quality is hard on your lungs because the area kicks up harmful dust laced with pesticides and other contaminants. In the summer the environment becomes inhospitable with temperatures reaching over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. In July of 2018, I found myself back at the Salton Sea to take some digital photos. This time, however, after less than an hour, I found it becoming harder to breathe the thick putrid air and had to retreat to the car.

 

Currently, it stands as a shallow body of toxic lifeless water. WIth barren salt-encrusted shores, the odor of decaying fish hangs heavy in the air. Most of the structures are abandoned and for good reason. There are multi-million dollar plans being debated to clean up the Salton Sea but for now, it remains as a tragic inspiration to clean up and save ecosystems to prevent an environmental disaster.