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| Mass Graves at a Wildlife Reserve |
 The largest lake in California is just 103 years old and it may not live to see 150. Located in the southern part of the state in the Colorado Desert, The Salton Sea is sustained by the New, Whitewater, and Alamo rivers, as well as run off from the nearby Imperial Valley agricultural area. It lies 200 feet below sea level and is just 50 feet shallow at its deepest.
Because of its location on the Southern Pacific railroad line, the area had been a productive salt mining town since the early 1800's. Efforts to irrigate the valley lead to the creation of the Imperial Canal, using intakes from the Colorado River. Silt gradually blocked this waterway and a diversion channel was built across an unstable river delta. A proper headgate system at the intake on the Colorado River that would stop accidents if the river flooded was not built as funds were lacking.
In 1905, 150,000 cubic feet of water per second overflowed the diversion channel and diverted the river into the Salton Sink. Erosion of the soft valley soil quickened, the channel deepened, and a waterfall steadily formed, at one point reaching 100 feet in height and reaching back towards the river.
Fearing that the cutback would reach the Colorado River and possibly continue up to Yuma, Arizona, the Southern Pacific Railroad, with much business in the area at risk, spent three million dollars, at the government's behest, over two years to stop the flow of the river into the Salton Sink. In 1907, they succeeded.
The Salton Sea quickly became a tourist destination, offering fishing, boating, and a yacht club that once drew more Californians than Yosemite National Park. But because of increased salt input and evaporation as the only outlet, the Salton Sea is at risk.
The tourists vanished thirty years ago, leaving it to the clean hands of agriculture and wildlife. Many birds have inhabited the area, where close to 400 species have been documented. Additionally, the abundance of plankton supports approximately 200 million fish, making it one of the "most productive fisheries in the world."
However, in 1986 the government declared the fish too toxic for consumption. The combination of salt, pesticides, and other toxic materials (including Agent Orange) from the run off have created a cesspool in a once thriving ecosystem.
In 1999, nearly 7 million fish died over just a few days because of the lack of oxygen in the water. In the next 50 years, the Salton Sea may reach its threshold, causing the once abundant fish population to disappear completely.
This area has produced multiple lakes over the last few centuries because of its flood prone location. Let's hope we have figured out solution by the time the next accident happens, or we will have to come up with different term for "wildlife refuge."
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