As Salton Sea faces ecological collapse, a plan to save it with ocean water is rejected by conservationists and lawyers.
The Salton Sea is the largest saltwater body in North America. The Salton is located in southern California, about 80 miles east of San Diego. The Salton Sea is about 12 miles long and up to 10 miles wide at high tide. Because the Sea does not have a shoreline, it is an open aquifer of sea water that seeped into the ground for long periods of time, forming salt.
The Salton Sea is a hotspot for an invasive species called the brine shrimp, a group of shrimp that feed on living animals and algae. They eat almost anything that swims, including small fish and other creatures, to be eaten alive. The brine shrimp thrive in the salty water, and they leave behind behind a toxic, black-spotted, floating “crown” that can kill off many other types of plants, animals, and other types of living organisms. The effect is especially severe near the Salton Sea—as one report said, “The brine shrimp are everywhere. They’re like a disease.”
Salton Sea is not only toxic, but it is also environmentally dangerous because the brine shrimp kill off all the plants, fish, and other animals in the Salton Sea as well as the surrounding desert. The brine shrimp is also a pollutant on the land and in the ocean waters. One expert said the brine shrimp are “probably the biggest issue with the Salton Sea, and the Salton Sea is likely a huge issue in the overall health of the environment.”
A group called Save the Salton has been trying to get the Salton Sea declared a national monument since the 1970s. The group is well organized and has made many attempts to get the Sea a protected area but has had many setbacks. The Salton Sea, despite its name, is not saltless.
The Salton Sea is a hotspot for an invasive species called the brine shrimp. They eat almost anything that swims, including small fish and other animals, to be eaten alive.
The Salton sea is home to some of the largest native oysters known to humanity. They have been an important part of the local