Desert Interlude: Salton Sea


photo by Ballard Avenue

In 1905, an irrigation project to bring Colorado River water to southern California farmers went horribly wrong. The river overwhelmed the diversion gates and canal, and for the next 18 months the Colorado flowed into a desert basin 200 feet below sea level. Eventually the river was controlled but not before there was a lake 35 miles long, 15 miles wide, and upwards of 50 feet deep—the Salton Sea.

It's a strange and fascinating place and you can read all about it here.

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