Salton Sea

On our way back to AZ we spent some time in Imperial County CA. At Indio, CA along I 10, we headed southeast along the western shore of the Salton Sea. It can be seen from I 40, but really caught my intrigue when we caught glimpses of it on our drive through the Joshua Tree National Forest in January 2010 on our last visit to LA. (See Jan. 2010 post)

The lake is 15 miles wide by 35 miles long, the largest lake in CA.

 Salton Sea is 226' below sea level. Only Death Valley is more below sea level.

 See the dead fish washed along the western shore? The eastern shore is different and unique in its own way.

 The lake is a sanctuary for many kinds of birds, over 400 species.

In fact, the southern part of the lake is named the Sonny Bono Salton Sea Restoration Project, honoring the late Congressman's interest in the lake and its problems in 1990.

 The Salton Sea is also a major resting stop on the Pacific Flyway.

The lake's salinity is greater than that of the waters of the Pacific Ocean but less than that of the Great Salt Lake; the concentration is increasing by about 1 percent annually, in spite of three rivers emptying into the lake.

Many species of fish are no longer able to survive because of the high salinity content of the lake. It is believed that once the salinity surpasses 4.4% w/v, only the tilapia will survive. Tilapia in this lake? Notice all the salt?

I was surprised to see all the itty bitty seashells on the ground.

This shoe print caught my eye.


More of our day in Imperial Valley and Imperial County to come...