I thought this was pretty interesting reading. Looks like almost everything I have been told/assumed about the Salton Sea is wrong.

Ever wonder about the stink when driving by the Sea...read this to find out why.

http://www.saltonseainfo.com/SS101/SS101frames.htm

Thank you for posting that DuneRDR. I have stopped for lunch on the banks of the Salton Sea and have wanted to fish there since I was little. It's nice to get a few of those rumors cleared up.

Very interesting reading - I hadn't heard many of the Myths that are being debunked on that page (Polution from Mexico, ag chems as a major problem, insignificant ecology (though not necessarially a natural part of the it's ecosystem which the page conviently dosen't mention).

But this really threw me:

quote:

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Myth 5: The Sea is an insignificant economic resource

The Salton Sea has the potential to be a major local and regional economic player. Once most people have an understanding of the quality of the Salton Sea there is little argument that a stabilized lake will have tremendous positive impact upon the region. A recent University of Redlands study suggests that over 300 million dollars can be generated at the Salton Sea each year. More recent studies suggest a positive economic boost into the billions with a “saved Sea.”

The potential for negative impact is just as great. Imagine a failed, smelly and ruined 380 square-mile lake that rests just 20 miles from some of the richest communities in California. Billions of dollars may be lost with a failed Sea in the neighborhood.

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Is it me or does the answer actually confirm the Myth it's ment to be debunking?

Ya I went thru the info pretty quick & I didn't see them mention how this accident happened. Or did I miss something?

The author does briefly mention that it was the need for water in imperial valley that accidentally caused the Salton Sea to come into existance - but he leaves out the details.

Which isn't too surprising when you stop and think about who the author is. He is the superintendant of the Salton Sea Recreation Area, if they don't have a clean reason to push for improvements to the Salton Sea I can't imagine who would. Their job depends entirely on the condition of this man made mistake so of course they're going to leave out details that may not help their cause.

The same author gives a few more hints about the sea's creation and his real agenda here:
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/salton/ABitOfEden.html

Here are some links that do give the full story of the Sea's creation:
http://www.rae.org/salton.html
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/salton/dangermond_...rt_-_the_sa.htm
http://www.movingwaters.org/exhibitgallery.../exhibit13.html

The real problem of the Salton Sea is people like Horowitz who are working to try and sustain a sea that is not naturally sustainable. In the past nature would periodically create the salton sea and then it would evaporate. The sink provided a perfect place for such a short lived sea.

However after man accidentally re-created the sea in the early 1900's we decided to try and benefit from it. After all here was a sudden oasis in the middle of the desert - what a great way to make some money.

So people did things to try and keep the sea full of water, you can't sell beach front property (Do a search for Bombay beach) without water so we had to keep funneling more water into the sink to keep the sea alive.

But this is not what nature intended and without constant help from man the sea could not stay viable. But the people who worked to keep the sea full of water did not know what they were doing and did not study the situation from a scientific viewpoint. (Hmmm, sounds like what the CBD is trying to do to the dunes today.) They just wanted to push their own agenda which required water in this sink.

What we should do is cut off all unnatural sources of feeder water to the sea and let it return to it's natural state. Allow the current sea to evaporate and let it refill only when nature is ready for it, then don't try to force it to exist longer than it is ment to, just sit back and marvel at the wonders of nature as an inland sea is created and destoryed through natural events over and over.

Yep, I've lived in the Palm Springs area my whole life, used to waterski the Salton sea as a kid. Smells bad, too much this and that, birds and fish dying. Many plans to fix it up, gonna cost alot of money. Here's my plan to pay for the needed repairs.....Riverboat gambling....that's right.....Riverboat gambling. The sea is located on Indian land, at least parts of it. The riverboat casinos would be serviced by ferries to carry players, sealed up nice and tight so you wouldn't smell the stink!! Gambling, boxing, and concerts on the all new zim1and2 and Donald Trump floating casino!!! In other news, there's a new movie comming out titled "Salton Sea" starring Val Kilmer as a drug addict living at the Salton Sea, sounds like it might be good.