WARNING: The Salton Sea is a very controversial topic! Some people believe the water is clean and safe, while others think it is a cesspool of sewage and other pollutants. As with any information, you should seek several sources before forming opinions or making decisions.

The Salton Sea, located about 130 miles east of San Diego (in Imperial County), is a saline lake that was formed in a large basin (called the Salton Trough ) created by a releasing bend of the San Andreas fault. In modern times, the Salton Trough, a desert basin whose center is 278 feet below sea level, became a lake in 1891, but dried up within a year. It began to form again in 1893. In 1905, the Colorado River flooded and was accidentally diverted into the Salton Trough, thus creating the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea was originally a fresh water lake. Because it is a closed system, with no outlet, water is lost only through evaporation. The salts from the surrounding environment have been concentrated in the sea for many years, and now it is more saline than the ocean. The sun evaporates 18% of the sea's volume every year, but the salt is left behind. Evaporation also concentrates pesticides and other pollutants.

This is image STS61A-0200-0122 taken from the space shuttle in October 1985. The Salton Sea is about 60 km long. Beneath it is the Imperial Valley, one of the major agricultural zones in California. The U.S./Mexico border runs about midway through the farmlands. The San Andreas fault is the linear feature that runs along the eastern (right hand) side of the Salton Sea. Notice that in this image, there is water in Laguna Salida, a large playa lake on the Mexican side of the International Border.

This is image STS040-0073-0054 taken from the space shuttle in June 1991. The Salton Sea is the small body of water in the north east quarter (top left) of the image. In this image you can clearly see where the US/Mexican border runs through the middle of the agricultural zone beneath the Salton Sea. Also, notice that in this image, there is no water in Laguna Salada.