The Salton Sea is located in the far southeastern corner of California in Riverside and Imperial counties. This is a major agricultural region that produces a lot of the winter vegetables that the rest of the country eats. Because it is on the border with Mexico, many of the people who work in the fields migrate back and forth.
The Salton Sea was created in 1905 when the Colorado River flooded and broke through canals built to irrigate farmland in the Imperial Valley. Farmers directed runoff from their fields into the lake to preserve it and it became a popular tourist destination. It is also an important stop on the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds.
Over the last 50 years, however, less water has been directed into the lake, causing it to slowly dry up. As it gets smaller, the salts and other chemicals from the agricultural runoff become more concentrated. These chemicals have also been deposited in the dust that is exposed as the lake recedes, which is then blown into the air, producing toxic air pollution.
In 1987, residents formed the Comite Civico del Valle (CCV) to support local farm workers. CCV helped establish one of the first community air monitoring networks, which helps understand which parts of the valley have the worst air quality. Their network has more than 40 sensors, compared to 5 that are run by the Environmental Protection Agency. CCV has also run important campaigns to reduce asthma rates and pesticide exposure in the Imperial Valley.
In the 1970s, Chevron and other oil companies mapped the Imperial Valley in search of oil. They did not find significant oil reserves, but they did note that the southern end of the Salton Sea had geothermal reserves with many minerals, including lithium. At the time, lithium was not valuable enough for them to extract it.
Lithium is necessary for lithium ion batteries–the rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles. As countries and states begin to transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles, lithium will be an increasingly important resource. Currently, most of the world’s lithium comes from Chile, Australia, and China. There is only one active lithium mine in the U.S. (in Nevada). The Imperial Valley lithium deposits are very large and could supply up to 40% of the world’s demand. They are also important because they are geothermal, so they would not require pit mines, which can be very environmentally destructive.
Companies are now beginning to build the first lithium extraction plants and to convert existing geothermal plants into lithium operations. Many residents of the Imperial Valley see lithium as something that will bring jobs and investment to a region of California that has historically been neglected. Others, however, are not convinced that these jobs will go to local residents, or that there has been adequate consideration of the potential environmental impacts on an already polluted area. In March 2024, CCV filed a lawsuit to overturn the lithium plant approvals, arguing that they will use too much water and contribute to other forms of pollution in ways that have not yet been addressed.
The Salton Sea is located in the far southeast of California, in Imperial and Riverside counties.
The Salton Sea is located in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys, about two hours from the coast.
This is a view of the Salton Sea from the North Shore Yacht and Beach Club.
This park is located in the unincorporated community of North Shore at the northern end of the Salton Sea. Before this park was built, there were no other parks in North Shore.
This is a photo of the west shore of the Salton Sea, taken from Salton City. You can see algae growing on the edge of the water.
The lithium reserves at the southern end of the Salton Sea have attracted a lot of attention because of their value for electric vehicles. This is a pilot site for lithium extraction. The company that owns it is building a larger facility that can extract more lithium.
In addition to the lithium plants being constructed, there are a number of existing geothermal plants. These plants generate energy from superheated brine pumped up from two miles underground.
One of Imperial County's major industries is cattle. This is the entrance to a large cattle feed lot.
The Comite Civico del Valle has been working in Imperial County for almost forty years.
The only EV chargers in Imperial County are located outside of Comite Civico del Valle's offices in Brawley. Getting EV chargers is a big issue for CCV, especially because lithium extracted from the Imperial Valley will power electric vehicles.
This sign welcomes visitors to Bombay Beach. The community used to be a popular vacation destination, but people stopped coming as the lake became more toxic. Now that there is little tourism, there are few residents and few services.
Several sections of the Salton Sea's shoreline are covered with hay bales. These hay bales are intended to reduce the amount of toxic dust that blows off the shore and to help establish plants as a long-term solution to dust.
Imperial County had one of the highest death rates from COVID in the state. This mural, located in El Centro, memorializes those who died from COVID.
The New River, which crosses the border between the US and Mexico at Calexico in Imperial County, is one of the most polluted rivers of its size in the country.