continued from Part One
The release of the Colorado River flow into the basin marked the beginning of rapid growth of a very large agriculture industry in the region, which today supplies two thirds of winter vegetables in the US, and supports a multibillion dollar cattle industry. It also marked the beginning of a very large problem; with no outflow, and only agricultural runoff flowing in, the sea was destined to become a giant, stagnant pond.
World War Two brought new, temporary visitors to the area. The military used the basin and surrounding mountains for military training and bombing practice, and the sea received countless doses of ammunition, and several unrecovered aircraft crashes, all of which still rest at the sea bottom today. Some effort was made to clean up the land, but many unexploded ordnances still dot the desert floor.
Following the war, and the further growth of agriculture and tourism, expansive communities were built on the shores surrounding the sea. Resorts and yacht clubs entertained even the rich and famous, who came for the speedboat racing, fishing and golf. Renowned Desert Modernism architect Albert Frey created the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club in 1959, and it became a haven for desert vacationers. Through the 1960’s, even as the sea was beginning to show obvious signs of a pending environmental disaster, thousands would visit the sea for recreation in this desert oasis.
Slowly but surely, the sea became more and more toxic and saline, and in 1976, Hurricane Kathleen created severe flooding that caused irreparable damage to all communities surrounding the Salton Sea. Resorts and homes were flooded, decay was rampant, the state began to issue odor warnings, and tourists stopped coming.
The long term effects of this major environmental mishap are now fully realizing. Following an allocation agreement in 2017, the farms surrounding the sea receive even less water from the Colorado River, so the water level of the sea will continue to recede, exposing the toxic elements that have been underwater for over fifty years. The residents of the region will continue to suffer the negative health effects of the contaminants stirred up by windstorms, and the federal government has not shown any signs of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that would be necessary to mitigate the impacts.
Several visits here in the early 2000’s revealed a community in a state of dazed catatonia. I saw no change between visits, except for further deterioration and neglect. In 2010, there was a glimmer of hope when the dilapidated North Shore Beach and Yacht Club was renovated and reopened as the Salton Sea Museum, offering arts programs and education to the local community. Sadly, after legal disputes a year later, the museum shut down permanently and is still looking for a home.
It has recently been discovered that the brine under the Salton Sea contains even greater concentrations of lithium than previously thought, a product of the several geothermal energy plants on the sea’s shores. Proposed large scale mining operations could produce billions of dollars of lithium carbonate to satisfy inevitable future needs.
Would the influx of investment from this gigantic undertaking be some sort of economic salvation for the region, or would it be another exploitation and abuse of a land that can’t seem to get a break?
Part One discusses the early history of Salton Sea
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