When California's Greatest Treasure Became a National Disgrace: The Salton Sea - IT'S HISTORY

formerly called california's miracle in the desert  the salton sea was once a picturesque desert oasis   the shores were lined with resorts  marinas and recreational luxuries   with millions of tourists and locals  alike flocking to soak up the rays   along its water in its brief time as a major  tourist attraction it saw many of hollywood's   elite upon the shores attracting guests from far  and wide to bask in the amenities offered by this   so-called seaside paradise and yet it now sits in  rotten ruins the abandoned hotels are little more   than broken wooden frames along the salton sea the  beach is littered with the remnants of a time-long   past and today we will discover how things  turned out this way how such a luxurious wonder   could turn into a toxic basin i'm your host  ryan socash and you're watching it's history let's briefly look back on the history of the  salt ambassad in which the salton sea is located   and while the salton sea is the most recent and  perhaps most well-known body of water that once   occupied this area if not for its toxicity alone  it is by no means the only body of water that had   inhabited this basin historical evidence suggests  that the colorado river has overflowed into the   salton basin referred to as the colorado desert  throughout the spanish period of california   history as well as multiple times in the past  creating numerous lakes that have fluctuated   over the millennia the first lake here lake  cohilla formed in 700 a.d when the colorado river   swelled to the gulf of california then north  through two overflow channels it occupied the   basin until around 300 years ago filling up and  drying out four times over its lifespan from 1824   to 1904 the colorado river flooded the sultan  basin eight times for example creating a salt   lake in 1840 that was three quarters of a mile  long and then another 30 mile long lake in 1891   the salton sea despite its name isn't actually a  sea but a saline lake or an ender hayek rift lake   meaning it has limited drainage in which there  is no method for water to outflow to a river   or ocean this is because of its location with a  surface of over 220 feet below sea level it sits   at one of the lowest elevations in the country  created by tectonic tension between two faults   moving in opposite directions it is located on top  of the san anders fault south of coachella valley   and north of imperial valley in recent years this  area was fed primarily by the new whitewater and   alamo rivers and through agricultural runoff  surrounding creeks and drainage systems   according to interesting engineering the lake's  depth fluctuates over time along with the local   precipitation and inflow rates still its average  dimensions are around 24 by 56 kilometers in width   and length and a maximum depth that varies from  30 to 50 feet now let's talk about how the sultan   sea was formed the salton sea as we know it was  formed at the beginning of the 20th century though   contrary to popular belief it was not entirely  man-made it came about thanks to large-scale   natural floods though its size was mainly due to  a faulty irrigation system the salton sea area was   once incredibly rich and fertile it was perfect  for farming well almost perfect anyhow you see   there was something missing there was no large or  consistent source of water which was critical for   harnessing the incredible agricultural potential  of the imperial valley over the course of many   years the state discussed plans for an irrigation  system stretching from the united states to mexico   however it wasn't until around 1900 that the  california development company started working   on a series of irrigation canals across the south  portion of the salton basin to draw water in   from the colorado river however heavy silt loads  greatly impeded the flow of these new irrigation   canals to address this the engineers decided to  cut into the western bank of the colorado river   to allow more water to flow in and while it  was incredibly profitable it would eventually   turn out to be a big mistake as the banks of  the intake continued to erode and cave away   the water flow continued to build up so much that  es ettinger a south pacific engineer directed an   attempt to close the channel in october of 1905. a  600 foot dam made up of brush mattresses sandbags   and pilings at a cost of about 60 thousand  dollars in total would slow the flow of the   water but a month later disaster struck proving  without a doubt that the canals were not able to   handle the flow of flood water so on the 29th of  november a massive flood increased the discharge   of the colorado river from twelve thousand to a  hundred and fifteen thousand cubic feet per second   overwhelming the dam and sweeping it away the  crevice in the intake canal was widened to   around 600 feet causing almost the entire colorado  river to flow through into the lowest part of the   sultan bassin flooding the already existing lake  that was around 150 square miles at the time this   break formed the new river and the alamo river  which would become crucial to the formation of the   salton sea over the next two years the southern  pacific was flooded and the valley ran rife with   fear of the impending summer floods if the break  was not closed by then the irrigation system would   be destroyed and the entire imperial valley basin  would eventually be reduced to a freshwater lake   even as such a threat lurked not even half a  year away there was no clear way forward as they   could not isolate the river completely doing so  would have almost certainly deprived 200 square   miles of farmland to crucial irrigation and so  engineers had to find a way to control the flow   of the colorado river without blocking it out  completely consulting engineer skyler suggested   a steel and concrete head gate near pilot knob  secured on a solid rock foundation according to   skyler's plan four miles of silted channel would  be re-excavated and enlarged by a specially built   steam dredge and a low water flow would be turned  through the head gate into the channel and west   of the break this would give the farmers a  continuous supply of water while leaving a   break dry enough to construct a levee or a dam  by the peak of the 1906 summer flood the crevasse   widened to more than half a mile spreading out and  collecting flowing over the slopes of the basin   and into the still-forming salton sea submerging  both farms and train trackage alike by the time   the flooding was finally halted in 1907 the salton  sea had become the newest body of water formed   by the flooding of the colorado river but by now  you may be wondering what caused the salton sea's   initial rise to fame as a tourist destination  the answer to that question would be the fishing   industry during the initial flooding from 1905  to 1907 many kinds of freshwater fish migrated   to the salton sea many quickly died off due to the  water's salt content and so the lake authorities   restocked the lake with fish that could survive  in salt water the variety of fish attracted many   who enjoyed recreational fishing but the lake  also enticed many species of migratory birds   who would visit annually due to the abundant  food source the newfound popularity had a   ripple effect and by the 1960s the salton sea  became a picturesque gateway filled with resorts   marinas and yacht clubs worth millions of dollars  in its time it would see various celebrity guests   and much of the hollywood elite such as frank  sinatra the beach boys jerry lewis and even former   president dwight eisenhower who golfed there  salton city sultan sea beach and desert shores   populated the western shores and desert beach  north shore and bombay beach were built on the   eastern shore a 500-mile powerboat endurance race  was held in november of 1962 attracting thousands   of spectators who joined those enjoying the  luxuries offered on the beachfront from lakeside   homes to restaurants nightclubs and golf clubs  millions flocked to enjoy the desert shores which   in its time attracted more annual tourists than  yosemite with over 1.5 million visitors annually   many staying in luxury hotels and admiring the  scenic views as well as its warm water looking   back however there were voices suggesting  that the sultan sea was doomed from the start   and unfortunately they're right let me tell you  why the first big hit to tourism occurred in the   1970s when a series of tropical storms flooded  the lakefront which slowed tourism considerably   but then things got worse because before the  residents could rebuild the salton sea's water   source diminished but this wasn't the only  reason as a saline lake in the middle of the   desert it was only a matter of time before it  became too salty to the point of toxicity due   to both evaporation and lack of outflow you  see water flowing into the lake carries in   salt and other minerals and as it evaporates  it leaves the salt behind because the lake is   in a desert and has such a high evaporation  rate it also loses more water to evaporation   than it gains in general saline lakes are unstable  bodies of water that rarely last the salton sea is   an exception because it is primarily maintained  by toxic agricultural and industrial runoff which   really picked up around 1928 as runoff built  up and toxic chemical levels rose the water   level remained the same resulting in a nearly  uninhabitable shoreline and a desolate future for   both humans and wildlife that would soon turn into  a large-scale environmental economic and health   crisis as the salton sea becomes saltier and  loses its water it may eventually dry up entirely   become a salt flat this would be a catastrophe to  many migratory bird species and it would destroy   one of california's exceedingly few remaining  wetland habitats although again considering   the toxic nature of the water you might already  say it's a lost cause to elaborate the massive   amounts of sodium chloride nitrogen and fertilizer  in the sultan sea also causes algae blooms the   largest occurred in 1999 it killed millions of  fish and contributed heavily to local pollution   this was no pretty sight remains littered the  shore for the next 10 years however this runoff is   just as dangerous to wildlife as it is to humans  on land as the shore recedes these fertilizers   are released into the air or kicked up as dust and  ultimately breathed in by any humans who pass by   the declining air quality poses a severe risk  to respiratory health that many inhabitants face   every day the real life results are pretty  terrifying imperial county more than doubled the   number of asthma-related emergency room visits for  children between 5 and 17. one in five children in   imperial county california suffers from asthma  and lung related illnesses the water has become   so salty that even salt tolerant fish can  no longer spawn by 2005 alone the water   had already become 30 percent more saline than  the ocean and reaches 45 000 parts per million   as water is diverted to urban areas the lake  shrinks even further and becomes more polluted   since 2000 the surface elevation has dropped over  10 feet and exposed over 15 000 net acres of dry   lake bed ecologists predict that eventually if  no action is taken the water will become so salty   that only bacteria would survive in it a report  from 2014 estimates that property devaluation   could cost up to 70 billion dollars over three  decades and then there's the nasty smell you   see hydrogen sulfide that overruns the oxygen  oxygen-deprived lake causes a rotting odor that   severely affects its residents along the dry lake  bed then finally there is the issue of arsenic to   be confronted many of the beaches sands are filled  with fish bones and at one point over 600 birds   died from avian botulism which was passed to them  by the infected fish it is the biggest man-made   source of hazardous dust in the united states with  dust levels around the lake being around 10 times   acceptable standards if the lake fully dries up  it will be one of the worst air quality disasters   not only in the country but in the entire  world this could affect millions if nothing   is done and the land continues to be scorched  by drought but all hope is not lost in 1993 the   salton sea authority was formed to oversee the  preservation of the lake ever since it has been   working to save the salton sea in the wake of the  2018 water settlement that expired allowing for   the runoff supply to be diverted to san diego as  well as other towns in the coachella valley the   sch projects aims to provide new habitats for fish  and birds by building fresh water bodies such as   deep water pools integrated sentimentation basins  and lofting islands these projects were designated   two million dollars in funding by california and  then another two hundred thousand dollars by the   obama administration california also instituted  the salton sea management program in 2018   to address the crisis the california natural  resource agency has discussed 11 different plans   for coming up with a solution by the end of the  year the overreaching aim is to pull the water   across the border from the sea of cortez to the  salton sea via a 125 mile canal across the u.s   mexico border and that feat is tremendous for  reference connecting these two bodies of water   would require canal twice the length of the panama  canal this plan has been backed by gary jennings   one of the founding partners of the c2c canal  company other variations of this plan envision   a promising future of shipping and tourism along  the canal usa today remarks that saving the salton   sea would be the second biggest north american  water project coming in just after the hoover dam   this is due to the cost and amount of negotiation  it would require a very early estimation of   the cost reaches well into the billions other  suggestions include piping water from the salton   sea to a wetland in mexico to remove excess salts  bringing in water from the gulf of california or   constructing evaporation ponds along its northern  half to desalinate the water the construction   of wetlands is also underway to join many dust  suppression efforts by the state of california   artists also aim to revitalize and reimagine the  derelict bombay beach turning abandoned homes into   handmade attractions such as the bombay beach  opera house and the toy house many artists   musicians and filmmakers gather to celebrate  the annual bombay beach arts festival which has   hosted ballerinas and singers photo galleries and  sculpture gardens the hermitage art museum curated   by new york artist george haberny still stands  filled with works of progressive artists from all   across the country there is even the bombay beach  drive-in a piece that functions both as a working   theater and a conceptual art center but still by  far the salton sea's most famous landmark bearing   the sea itself is salvation mountain which  is a 50 foot tall by 150 foot wide creation   by artist leonard knight bearing the message  god is love it is covered by paint and sculpted   flowers waterfalls sun bluebirds and many other  objects undoubtedly the salton sea has changed   the course of california's ecosystem forever it  serves as a reminder that while incredible such   luxury attractions are not always sustainable and  that we must consider the impact accordingly as   it affects not only nature but us along with it  and now californians have a hefty price to pay   and perhaps if they tap into their old forgotten  silver and gold mines they'll come across enough   cash to make it all work out and perhaps my video  about california's forgotten gold mines would   help out in this process so click the link in the  card to watch that video click subscribe smash   the bell join us to support the channel you guys  know what to do this is ryan socash signing off

Channel: IT'S HISTORY

Views: 1,239,877

Keywords: tales of urban decay, urban history, American history, urban exploring, Ryan Socash, It's History, California History, Salton Sea, Salton Sea History, Urban Decay, The Salton Basin, The Salton Basin History, Salton Sea Resorts, Bombay Beach, Salton City, Salton Sea Beach, Desert Beach, North Shore, Colorado River, Colorado River Flooding, Salton Basin Flooding, Lake Cahuilla

Id: jvB_gTvLAbw

Length: 17min 18sec (1038 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 23 2022