Travels With Connie #46 Salton Sea Ecology
Sometimes I know exactly where I am going. In that case it’s easy, pick a route and go.
More often I have an idea where I’d like to end up, and generally speaking a direction to go.
Once in a while I just follow the front wheel and see where it takes me.
It's big, beautiful and polluted. The Salton Sea is one of the most polluted bodies of water in the US. How can that be?
According to Wikipedia the Salton Sea supports the most diverse and important population of birds in the continental United States. An important resting spot on the Pacific Flyway, over 400 species have been documented at the Salton Sea.
The Salton Sea is home to about 30% of the total population of the American White Pelican.
So how can this wonderful body of water be one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country? Simple. The only source of water for the place are the New and Alamo Rivers, Agricultural runoff and rain. Both the New River and the Alamo River run straight north out of Mexico and are probably the two most polluted streams in America. The Ag runoff is fertilizer and pesticide laden. The area gets less than 4 inches of annual rainfall, a relatively simple formula for disaster.
Alamo River image courtesy WikimediaCommons from Philip Erdelsky - Own work
Those two rivers are so polluted that they often carry islands of suds and scum along with them all the way to Salton Sea. It's a pretty tragic combination.
Fish. Yes there are fish living in Salton Sea, most notably Tilapia. Without competition from other species they live in the lake by the millions. But the pollution and salinity catch up with them, and almost the entire population dies off every year. The marge of the lake you can see in the photo above is crunchy with Tilapia bones. Inches deep Tilapia bones.
It makes me angry that such a marvelous place has it's very existence threatened by pollution and natural causes. Is there anything to be done? Yes there is, and we'll deal with it in the next chapter. Spoiler alert: It's expensive and difficult.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
The image of New River is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Otherwise all words and photographs in this post are mine. For better or worse. I used Wikipedia to get and keep my facts straight
You want some real motorcycle travel? Check out Velimir. That’s some kind of motorcycle writing.
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I never heard of this place until today. Thank you for sharing.
You aren't the only one who hasn't heard of it. It's sort of forgotten, even here.
Such a beautiful place yet so sad how polluted it is. We do it to ourselves and I am not sure we will ever learn, it's sad its the animals that suffer. Thanks for sharing.
It is a sad story, beginning to end. There might be a light at the end of the tunnel. I really hope it is so.
I hope so too. We live in such a wonderous place. I truely hope we wake up before its all too late.
It looks like such a wonderful place. I would never think from the scenery that it was polluted. Man, that really sucks.
The setting is just completely gorgeous. One of the coolest in the area. The truth, not so much.
It is sad how much pollution there is in our world. From stories like this to the dirty garbage filled harbour in my hometown of Halifax. It is a disgrace to see how little we care for our planet. We only got one so when we are done with it then that will be it. Looking forward to the next chapter, I can only imagine how expensive the clean up can be.
Money. Great huge enormous money. Probably the best thing the lake has going for it is that it is in California and that the biannual stench and dust storm affects the Cochella Valley all the way to LA. Where the big money is.
I really looked into this place a while back and it is such a tragic story. This place was once a boom town and a huge vacation destination. It was also a really sought after place to race speed boats due to its high salt content and glass smooth surface conditions. You should also check out the movie by the same name with Val Kilmer. It is a great flick even though it has nothing to really do with the salton sea to much at all.
The story is just tragic. It was a really happening place in the 50's and 60s. I bought a competition grade water ski from Keith Jobe in '67. It was made in Salton City. There was a rumor of change in the Sea that lead to a new development in the early 2000s. There are still houses for sale cheap there.
here is a documentory i watched on it a few years back. it covers a ton of stuff from what it use to be to what it is now. The department of conservation runs incinerators or use to to burn the dead fish 24 hours a day 7 days a week and still couldn't keep up. Just give it a watch. It is heart breaking really.
I've seen this video several times, and will watch it again. The preacher pictured here has left us, I talked to him a few months before he died. Next trip I will go see what has become of Love Mountain...
that sucks to hear. I want to get out and visit it sometime just because i have read so much about it.
Great post! I am totally with you about the travesty of the situation. I live in an area that is plagued by pollution. We have miles and miles of beautiful shoreline near me that are infested with muck and scum from the chemicals that run off into the rivers. The pictures in your post are beautiful though!
Thank you. That's kinda the point today. The place is so beautiful and so near dead. It just shouldn't be.
Sometimes the best trips are the ones we do not plan in advance 😉
Love your photos, as always.
Generally, I think the best trips are not exactly planned. Thanks for your kind words.
another great post...thanks Bigtom..
very cool post, i saw a murder scene and bones as i scrolled through! what a story, prob happened too. land looks cursed but the mountains in the backdrop are amazing. thank you for sharing, great photos! :)
It would surprise me if there weren't murders committed there. I don't think the land is cursed. Tortured, maybe. Geologically it is a genuine Rift valley, and one day will return to the sea. I think that will bring peace to this blighted valley.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
i know right! but then again i lived in nyc around mob town and tons of bodies found every week. ahahahah
the thoughts creep in automatically.
that would be amazing if the sea returned, i'd have to look at the area and see the maps i use after the total shift happens.
thanks for having me!
Oh, the sea will return. Geologically, the Baja Peninsula is separating from the North American Plate. There is only one 30' (9m) ridge between the ocean and the interior now. Where most of those pictures were taken is 250' (80m) below Sea Level. The last bit of this ride will deal with that some.
yeah i still haven't done the research but they are saying that cali will be more like islands than the first initial prediction of total sinking. ah, now i see its near joshua tree ... yeah i was very close to there but never went to either location. drove through from phoenix and one trip from sf to nyc drove through pasadena. i'm from sf originally. thanks again for sharing!
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