Salton Sea, California — A state that boasts majestic mountain ranges and beautiful coastline, the Salton Sea is not generally thought of as an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise.
California’s largest inland lake, which straddles Riverside and Imperial counties, is actually beautiful. As the sun sets over the Santa Rosa Mountains, the 55-mile-long ocean sparkles and a waterfall of color appears in the desert. But after its heyday as a popular resort destination in the 1950s, the ocean has become one of the state’s most significant environmental challenges.
The Salton Sea is shrinking as less water flows in from the Colorado River, surrounding farms use more efficient irrigation, and the planet warms. As the water level recedes, the exposed lakebed becomes drier and dustier, a natural phenomenon that often emits an acrid, rotten-egg-like odor, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Researchers have linked dust blown from the playa to the region’s unusually high incidence of childhood asthma.
In its heyday in the 1950s, the Salton Sea was a popular desert paradise. Stars such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz have vacationed here.
(Allen J. Scherben/Los Angeles Times)
Rural areas surrounding the Salton Sea, where the majority of the population is Latino, are bearing the disproportionate brunt of the crisis. Sara Renteria, who lives along the northeast coast of the ocean, was diagnosed with asthma three years ago, and doctors believe she probably developed the condition from a dusty environment at work and exposure to pesticides. said. One of her three daughters has developed nosebleeds, a condition that locals say is common among children in the area.
But when Renteria visited the Salton Sea State Recreation Area and gazed at the sparkling waters, he saw potential.
“When I come here, I stop and look out at the lake and think, ‘If this place wasn’t what it is now, if this place was what it was when it was recently built, this place would be filled with people from the community. Taro, then more tourists will come,” she said. “Our community will benefit from that tourism, and businesses around the area will benefit as well.”
In this sweltering desert region, where residents have limited access to parks and green spaces, community advocates are calling the park, which stretches 15 miles off the northeast coast, a vibrant place for families to gather in nature. They are asking the state to turn it into a destination. Renteria envisions people hiking and biking on wheelchair-accessible trails and spending the night at family-friendly campgrounds. It has a bathroom and awning structure and has easy access to public transport.
“Children will no longer be cooped up indoors, they will be able to go outside and walk or ride their bikes,” Renteria said. “They’ll be able to put down their phones and tablets for a while, so they can connect more with nature.”
Visitors take selfies while admiring public art at Bombay Beach, a small community on the Salton Sea.
(Luis Cinco/Los Angeles Times)
Alianza Coachella Valley, the nonprofit organization leading the call for recreation infrastructure at the Salton Sea, is building a trail that will connect to 40 miles of bike and pedestrian paths extending from North Shore communities already under construction in the Coachella Valley. is being promoted. To the state park.
Meanwhile, California Audubon, through its Salton Sea Stewardship Program, aims to include infrastructure improvements at various locations around the ocean in the state’s ongoing efforts to build natural habitat and control dust in exposed lakebed areas. is claimed.
Today’s Salton Sea was formed in the early 20th century during efforts to use Colorado River water to irrigate farmland in the Imperial Valley. According to the Salton Sea Authority, in 1905 a major flood breached the canal system, sending water into the Salton Sink.
By the 1950s, the ocean southeast of Palm Springs had become a desert paradise in its own right. The Beach Boys performed there, and stars such as Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz vacationed there, said Linda Beer, a volunteer docent at the now-closed Salton Sea History Museum.
“The Salton Sea is a hotspot for birds and wildlife, so we want the communities that live there to be able to witness nature in their backyards,” said Keilani Bonis Eriksen of Audubon California. Masu.
(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
“The beach was filled with people sunbathing,” recalls Beal, who grew up in the Coachella Valley. “We went fishing for a while, and then it got hot, so dad said, “Kids, let’s go water skiing.”
Tropical storms in the 1970s flooded coastal resorts. In recent decades, the lake has shrunk and become saltier than the ocean, killing nearly all the fish and dwindling the number of migratory birds that rely on them for food. Many of the houses and buildings around the sea fell into disrepair.
But for farmworkers who work in the Coachella and Imperial Valleys and still live in coastal communities, the region is ripe for revitalization.
The federal and state governments have poured millions of dollars into restoration work at the Salton Sea. The once abandoned North Shore Beach & Yacht Club is now a community center. Towns like Salton City, population 6,202, are growing as low-wage workers seek affordable housing.
The discovery of lithium – an essential element in making batteries for the electric car market – in geothermal brine beneath the southern tip of the ocean raises the possibility of more jobs and investment flowing into the depressed region.
A person sunbathing alone at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Sylvia Paz, executive director of Alianza Coachella Valley, held a fall press conference at the Salton Sea to launch a campaign to “Seize the Moment” to improve quality of life and economic opportunity for residents. was done with this situation in mind.
Her organization published a survey of local residents conducted in collaboration with the Chicano Studies Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, which found that trails along the Salton Sea, bike lanes, children’s play areas, and shaded Picnic areas and recreational cooling stations in the state were found to be widely supported. area. Many respondents supported the idea of small businesses such as food vendors and farmers markets selling local produce, while more than half wanted bike rental stations, fast food restaurants and souvenir shops.
Paz said he sees this initiative as an opportunity to promote sustainability in a changing climate. Well-maintained walking paths reduce dust. Bike paths reduce car travel. A shade canopy and water feature provide an escape from the triple digit heat.
California State Parks is in talks with Riverside County about an effort to connect county facilities at the North Shore Beach and Yacht Club to the state park, adding trails within the park, said department spokesman Jorge Moreno. There is a possibility that it will be considered.
A separate 2022 study by Audubon California also found that local residents wanted basic amenities at the beach, including restrooms, potable water, lighting, paved roads, and shaded spaces.
A pair of herons nesting at the Salton Sea.
(Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
“The Salton Sea is a hotspot for birds and wildlife, so we want to make sure the communities that live there can witness nature in their backyards,” said Keilani Bonis, Geospatial Science Program Manager at California Audubon. Eriksen says.
Bonis-Eriksen said improving public access along the west coast of the ocean would bring economic and social benefits to local towns, and that existing public areas such as the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge could be improved. I discovered that it is easy to target. Audubon said he is encouraging state officials to incorporate community access into future restoration projects. “I will make it happen,” he said.
A key hurdle to the vision is getting approval for changes from local landowners. California is not a significant landowner in the region, except for the state’s recreational areas. The shore and the land below water are a checkerboard of ownership. Building a trail system and providing amenities such as restrooms and drinking fountains in areas outside state parks requires multiple land agreements and lengthy negotiations, according to a community needs report prepared for the state Natural Resources Agency. This means that it may be necessary.
Another pressing question is whether it is really safe to promote recreation along dying beaches, where the health effects on people living nearby are well documented. This year, an extreme athlete ran around the ocean wearing a full-face gas mask to raise awareness of the plight of the ocean.
Paz acknowledged these concerns, but stressed that creating recreational areas includes hardening surfaces, planting trees and greenery, and “getting serious about keeping dust down.”
Jill Johnston, an associate professor of environmental health at the University of Southern California who studies the health effects of Salton Sea dust on children living nearby, says that as long as dust control measures are built into the ocean’s design, agreed that it could be an asset to the community. Any recreational infrastructure.
He said there needed to be a way for visitors to monitor air quality and be notified of dust outbreaks that could cause pollutants, adding: There will be more of those particles. ”
“We want to feed the lake and keep it clean and healthy so people can breathe,” said Israel Pizza, a father of five who lives in the eastern Coachella Valley. say.
(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Rep. Eduardo Garcia, a Democrat from Coachella, supports the vision of increasing recreational opportunities. He said the trail “doesn’t require a huge investment” and could be incorporated into the state’s ongoing efforts through the Salton Sea Management Program.
Israel Pizza, a father of five who lives in the thermal region of the eastern Coachella Valley and works in fields and landscaping, looks at the trails at Salton Sea State Park dotted with gazebos, benches, fountains and trees. I’m thinking about it. His hope, he said, is to see the Salton Sea restored to its former glory, or something similar.
“It may not be exactly the same as before,” he said. “But we want to nourish the lake and make it cleaner and healthier so people can breathe.”
This article is part of the Times’ Equity Reporting Initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, which examines the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic disparities. I am.
