As Salton Sea faces ecological collapse, a plan to save it with ocean water is rejected
The idea of building a sea wall to protect the Salton Sea, a coastal delta of Southern California, is hardly new. The current proposal is not the first ocean water storage proposal in the area.
A group of citizens who live near the Salton Sea — which is surrounded by the Salton Aquifer and the Sea of Cortez — want the state of California to build a $50 million seawall, which would require cutting through private property and the Salton Sea is now an oasis of life because of the water.
The Salton Sea is an 80-square-mile coastal oasis, one of the last in California, with a rich history of being used as a military camp during World War II and serving as a refugee camp for Japanese-American residents during World War II.
There is a large amount of land in the oasis called “The Islands” — an area of salt marsh — where salt and seawater is slowly evaporating.
The Sea of Cortez is a huge salt desert located next to the Sea of California. The main source of salt is the Salton Sea.
More than 300,000 people now live in the Salton Sea. It has one-quarter of the area of the state of Texas and one-tenth of the population. The area is home to a mix of agriculture, agriculture and other low-income residents, who face an ever-increasing economic crisis.
The Salton Sea has a large and rapidly growing population, making it susceptible to the impacts of climate change. One of the most destructive, which could have catastrophic consequences, is rising sea levels and a lack of coastal defenses.
The Salton Sea is slowly disappearing as salt water is evaporating from the area. As a result, there is no longer any fresh water available for the residents.
The Salton Sea is located between San Diego County, California and Baja California. The land is used by millions of acres of farmland that have been used as a way for farmers to provide food for the growing world population, primarily in the United States.
It is expected to sink by six to eight feet by the turn