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The Salton Sea

Foundations of buildings of an early 20th century resort that was used before the rising waters of the Salton Sea turned this hill into Mullet Island, one of the four Salton Buttes.
Foundations of buildings of an early 20th century resort that was used before the rising waters of the Salton Sea turned this hill into Mullet Island, one of the four Salton Buttes. Photo: David McNew (Getty Images)

Inland seas are generally strange and wonderful places, saltwater where it’s not supposed to be. But the Salton Sea holds a special mystique because it was never meant to be. The valley the Salton Sea sits in has filled with water occasionally, but the current shimmering sea of saline water formed after a canal meant to divert water from the Colorado River (its own environmental folly, if we’re being honest) was breached by floodwaters in 1905.

The sea has been through a lot: it’s a failed resort mecca, an art and desert rat haven, a major stopover for migratory birds, a place where fish go to die, a source of toxic dust, and a dumping ground for irrigation and industrial runoff. Now, it could be the site of an American lithium boom.

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