Desert Shores

Overview

Salton Sea is a large salt lake located on the San Andreas Fault, in an arid depression of Southwestern California, 227 feet below sea level. It was accidentally created at the beginning of the last century when the Colorado River overflowed its banks. A very popular tourist attraction in the 1950s and 1960s, it was paradise for fishing aficionados, its shores dotted with hotels, marinas and yacht clubs. The area boomed, with significant economic and population growth. As the 1970s approached, people began noticing that the lake’s water was dropping and its salinity was rising.