About
-215ft (-71m)
43ft (13m)
343 sq mi (889 sq km)
80 ppt, vs. 35ppt average salinity of ocean water
Once part of the Gulf of California, the Colorado river sedimentation cut it off from the ocean.
It alternated between dry and filled periods, attracting native americans to the region as evidenced by numerous archeological sites.
According to the oral memories of the Cahuilla people, the sea last existed until the 1700s.
As a consequence of heavy rains, the levees in the newly constructed irrigation systems failed, sending the floodwaters into the dry sea bed - creating the Salton Sea as we now know it
For decades the sea served as the region's getaway, with more yearly visitors at it's peak than Yosemite!
It once boasted the richest and densest fish stock in the country.
Created in 1905, the Salton became a lifeline for birds along the pacific flyway as the Los Angeles marshes were developed and paved over.
To the skeptics, the sea was artificial and therefore expendable. This however ignores the consequential changes to California's coastal habitats and the important role the sea played in mitigating the effects of urbanization on California's wildlife.
Without tourism and water, the region began an inexorable decline into oblivion.
As the shorelines retreated, exposed lakebed began blowing in the wind.
Imperial valley now has the highest asthma rates in the nation
A keystone sanctuary on a critical route became unlivable as salinity levels exploded.
The fish die offs were followed by bird die offs, and today few stop here on their way up the coast.
