History and Environmental Impacts of the Salton Sea, California
Faculty Mentor
Richard Orndorff
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Department
Geology
Abstract
In 1905 a poorly-constructed dike broke and irrigation water from the Colorado River broke out of its canal and filled an ancient seabed in southern California’s Imperial Valley. This was the sudden and unexpected creation of the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea has since been maintained by irrigation runoff from nearby farms in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Benefiting greatly from tourism in the 1950s and 60s, the Salton Sea attracted more tourists annually than Yosemite National Park. Since 2002 the salinity has doubled, making the Salton Sea 50% saltier than any ocean on Earth. In addition to increasing salinity, water quality issues such as temperature extremes, eutrophication, and related anoxia and algal blooms are adversely impacting fish and other wildlife. Even though it has only been 100 years since its accidental formation, the Salton Sea has become an extremely critical resource for resident and migratory birds. A marine sport fishery was located on the Salton Sea, but it has been closed due to decreasing fish populations. In this study we discuss the history and environmental impacts of the Salton Sea, as well as possible solutions for current environmental problems.
Recommended Citation
Leonard, Max and Robert, Lucas, "History and Environmental Impacts of the Salton Sea, California" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 18.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/18
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
History and Environmental Impacts of the Salton Sea, California
PUB NCR
In 1905 a poorly-constructed dike broke and irrigation water from the Colorado River broke out of its canal and filled an ancient seabed in southern California’s Imperial Valley. This was the sudden and unexpected creation of the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea has since been maintained by irrigation runoff from nearby farms in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. Benefiting greatly from tourism in the 1950s and 60s, the Salton Sea attracted more tourists annually than Yosemite National Park. Since 2002 the salinity has doubled, making the Salton Sea 50% saltier than any ocean on Earth. In addition to increasing salinity, water quality issues such as temperature extremes, eutrophication, and related anoxia and algal blooms are adversely impacting fish and other wildlife. Even though it has only been 100 years since its accidental formation, the Salton Sea has become an extremely critical resource for resident and migratory birds. A marine sport fishery was located on the Salton Sea, but it has been closed due to decreasing fish populations. In this study we discuss the history and environmental impacts of the Salton Sea, as well as possible solutions for current environmental problems.
