Vacation Spot Salton Sea Oasis Now Just Dust Bowls, Receding Waters, Dead Fish — California

The Salton Sea, a popular vacation destination in California, has been transformed from an oasis into a wasteland of dust, receding water, and heaps of dead fish.

An unintentionally made oasis in the California desert constituted a popular family-friendly community more than a century ago.

But over the past few decades, climate change and drought in the Salton Sea, according to environmental experts, have resulted in a place that has been troubled by dust bowls, receding waters, and other hazards.

Residents have also noticed heaps of dead fish by the shores.

Salton Sea: Accidental Oasis

After a Colorado River irrigation canal burst and deluged into the Salton Basin in the early 20th century, the Salton Sea was formed.

The oasis was surrounded by homes and other buildings, and it soon became the preferred destination for Los Angeles residents seeking more space as well as a coastal setting.

According to Desert USA, a remnant of the ancient Lake Cahuilla, the Salton Sea is a small, salty lake located in the Salton Basin.

However, the Salton Sea has lost about 33% of its water over the past 25 years and is now California's most contaminated inland lake. The river receded 38 square miles just in the last ten years.

This loss has been attributed to several factors, including the state's drought and the Colorado River's declining levels.

Drought and Climate Change

According to Ann Cheney, a medical anthropologist at the University of California Riverside, as a result of the sea's drying up, the water body is now filled with toxic pesticides and fertilizer that are dispersed into the atmosphere as dust.

In a 2021 USA Today article, it was claimed that in the 100 years since the lake formed, it had been sustained by agricultural runoff and had turned into a rare resting place for migratory birds.

Cheney claimed that windstorms pick up dust and carry it inside, where children breathe it in.

Shohreh Farzan, a researcher from USC who has been gathering air particle samples at elementary schools near the Salton Sea since 2017, said that the air is so toxic that the rate of asthma in the communities near the sea is 22% as opposed to 8%, which is the national average.

Also Read: Ancient Species Australian Eucalyptus in Rapid Decline Following Severe Drought, Climate Change

Lithium Woes

The Salton basin is being improved, and a ten-year cleanup program is in place to try and clean the air, but the area did not experience any rainfall lately, making efforts more challenging.

Hay bales that act as a dust storm suppressant have also been made available by the California Natural Resources Board, though their potential efficacy has been questioned.

More work needs to be done, according to Luis Olmedo, executive director of the non-profit Comite Civico Del Valle Inc, which works to create healthy communities.

Olmedo added that the locals must participate in the discussions concerning the future of the region because California wants to use areas that are already producing geothermal energy to mine the desert close to the basin for lithium, a crucial mineral used to make EV batteries.

According to a California state report, there is enough lithium in the state to produce 600,000 tons of lithium annually, which would be the most lithium produced worldwide and bring in up to $7 billion annually, ABC News reported.