Something stinks…it’s The Salton Sea

by Coachella Valley | August 20, 2019 11:16 am

Smelling Rotten Eggs? Blame The Salton Sea

Elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide at Salton Sea prompts odor advisory.

UPDATE: ALERT: Odor Advisory From Salton Sea Extended … Again

The advisory was originally set to expire Tuesday morning, then was extended three more times. It may be a stinky weekend …

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — An odor advisory that was issued for the Coachella Valley due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide wafting up from the Salton Sea — creating a smell similar to rotten eggs — was set to expire Saturday after being extended for the second time since it was issued earlier this week, but now is extended through Monday.

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — An odor advisory from the Salton Sea region, initially set to expire Tuesday, was extended through Thursday by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — Some Coachella Valley residents may smell the stench of rotting eggs in the air Sunday due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide wafting from the Salton Sea.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued an odor advisory through Tuesday morning after detecting hydrogen sulfide concentrations at 239 parts per billion Sunday morning immediately downwind from the Salton Sea, in an area with little population.Those numbers exceeded the state standard of 30 parts per billion.”Over the past week, hydrogen sulfide concentrations have been elevated when winds are blowing out of the south, especially during the morning hours,” the SCAQMD said in a news release.

Elevated levels of the gas near the lake are relatively common and are a product of natural processes in the water.

The levels detected Sunday can cause headaches and nausea, but there are no long term health risks associated with those symptoms, the agency said.

Southerly winds expected to pick up during the daylight hours Monday and Tuesday have the potential to increase the intensity of the odor, the SCAQMD warned.

–City News Service

 

The Salton Sea[1]

The Salton Sea

Sometimes from my home  in Joshua Tree, I can smell the foul odor of decaying fish from the Salton Sea, forty-seven miles away, but that is on a rather rare occasion.  For years I have seen photographs of The Salton Sea, in its current state of urban decay. Nothing would prepare me for a first-hand visit to this once thriving Southern California vacation spot; despite having zoomed past it on a few occasions, driving the 86 highway on my way to more desirable places like Anza Borrego State Park; I only stopped long enough to grab a drink and utilize the facilities of a gas station.

The Salton Sea was formed in 1905, when an irrigation canal along the Colorado River burst due to excessive flooding. This caused the water from the Colorado River to divert for eighteen months into the Salton Basin or “Sink”. This wasn’t the first time that Colorado River water had touched this basin, on at least three previous occasions in the last thousand years the Colorado River has naturally diverted itself into Salton Basin. The prehistoric incarnation of the “sea” has been given the name Lake Cahuilla, after the Native American people who lived along its shoreline.

The map shows the boundaries of Lake Cahuilla and modern day Salton Sea.[2]

The map shows the boundaries of Lake Cahuilla and modern day Salton Sea.

Lake Cahuilla is believed to have been one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world during its existence, covering more than 2,000 miles and having a depth of over 300 feet.  This ancient lake was over six times the size of the modern-day Salton Sea, at 100 miles long by 35 miles across at its widest point. It basically covered from the delta in Mexico north to Indio. The ancient shorelines are still visible along the surrounding mountain ranges.

Since its latest accidental incarnation, The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake with a surface area of 376 miles. Its average depth is 29.9 feet, and its deepest is about 50 feet.  It loses as much water each year from evaporation, as it received back from irrigation inflow, at a rate of 1.3 million acre-feet or 423,800,000 gallons of water.  Here is where the tragedy lies, when the water evaporates, it leaves behind its salt content, and the influx of new water is adding an additional 4 million tons of salt per year!  The lakes current salt levels are 25% saltier than the ocean.

Between the 1920s and 1930s, California’s Department of Fish and Game made the decision to begin stocking the lake with fish. Even at the time the newly formed lake was salty and increasing more so each and every year. In the 1950s it was decided to stock it with ocean species such as sargo, bairdiella, and orange-mouth corvina

Around the same time as the introduction of the ocean fish species the lake was becoming a hot tourist spot. In the later part of the 50s and 60s, Salton Sea was seeing more than half a million visitors, making it more visited than Yosemite National Park.

A heron enjoying the shores of the Salton Sea.[3]

A heron enjoying the shores of the Salton Sea.

A flock of white heron along the shore breaker.[4]

A flock of white heron along the shore breaker.

Along with the fish, and the happy-go-lucky people, came the birds. Not just any birds, but pelicans, cormorants, and herons; species of birds that tend to spend a majority of their time along ocean shorelines. 

The tourism influx created several small communities along the north, east and west shorelines. On the west shore, the communities of Salton City, Desert Shores, and Salton Sea Beach. Along the east shore, Bombay Beach; and along the north shore, there is the aptly named, North Shore.

Yacht clubs, hotels and golf courses sprung up almost overnight in an attempt to exploit the “accident”.  And exploit is exactly what they did, land value skyrocketed – and the rich and famous found their new haven.

Just a few short years later, and mother nature “flipped the bird” to the thrill seekers, and beach bunniesin more ways than one.  As the salt levels in the water grew, the fish began to die, and not just one or twowe’re talking mass die offs, with entire beaches littered with thousands of stinking, rotting, decaying fish carcasses. This, along with the wetlands brought a large influx of birds, over 400 species to be more precise.

As quickly as The Salton Sea sprang to life, it died. The beaches became ghost towns, as did the businesses that served the half-million visitors. The sandy beaches of death reeked of sun-baked rotten fish, their bones becoming part of the beach that they lay upon. A horror show, and one that would only become worse in time.

Fast forward to modern-day Salton Sea.  It is a gloomy day with periods of rain as my wife and I approached the lake. Our first stop would be North Shore, on our day long excursion around the lake. We stopped at a more recently abandoned convenience store called, Carniceria Toro Loco #6 and an abandoned gas station next door. A pay phone sits on the sidewalk, next to the smashed windows of the convenience store. Inside the shelves and promotional materials are strung throughout. The Monster Energy advertisement on the front door would indicate the closure of the store in the past few years.

Carniceria Toro Loco #6 in North Shore[5]

Carniceria Toro Loco #6 in North Shore

A relic of the not so distant past[6]

A relic of the not so distant past

North Shore[7]

North Shore

North Shore – I wouldn’t depend on this place being open the next time you drive through town.[8]

North Shore – I wouldn’t depend on this place being open the next time you drive through town.

We drive on just a short distance to the shoreline. Stepping out of the vehicle we both did everything that we could to keep from losing our lunch, the smell of decay filled our noses. During my wife’s career in the hotel industry, she had the pleasure of discovering the body of man who had been dead in a hotel room for nearly a week. She has always said that she would never forget the smell when she opened that hotel room door; I asked her how this was, in comparison, and her reply was, “close, very close.” Walking to the beach we noticed an abundance of trash along the landscape, intermixed with the carcasses of rotting fish. Along the breaker, several seabirds watched us in curiosity.  Walking out the breaker, I realized that it wasn’t made of rocks per say, but rather broken up concrete from a building or sidewalk. Walking back to the Jeep, not even a hundred feet away, we spotted children playing in a backyard.

Next door, we pay a quick visit to the North Shore Yacht Club, and find that it will probably be the nicest structure that we encounter the entire day, next to the Red Dirt Casino on the west shore.

Rotting and decaying fish make up a large portion of the beaches along the Salton Sea, along with the bones of those that died before them.[9]

Rotting and decaying fish make up a large portion of the beaches along the Salton Sea, along with the bones of those that died before them.

Pelicans rest on them remnants of a pier, behind the North Shore Yacht Club.[10]

Pelicans rest on them remnants of a pier, behind the North Shore Yacht Club.

A concession stand behind the North Short Yacht Club.[11]

A concession stand behind the North Short Yacht Club.

Yeah, no thanks. You can keep the sandwiches.[12]

Yeah, no thanks. You can keep the sandwiches.

Driving on we find an abandoned Cafe, stop for a few photos, before arriving at Bombay Beach. Bombay Beach was just a few short years ago the location of airstreams and boats decaying into the beach. Today, those images no longer exist, they have literally disintegrated into the beach and water. What we are left with is one of the most dilapidated communities that I have ever encountered. Streets of houses, filth, and disgusta few small businesses, including a small market remain in business to serve the residents and passer-bys. Driving through the streets of town, you would swear that you had entered a third world country. I don’t say these things to be mean, or judgmental, but there is clearly something that has gone awry here.

Let’s look at the numbers, Bombay Beach in 2010 had 295 residents, which was down from 366 in 2000. The average California household income is $58,328, the average household income in Bombay Beach, $17,502. Based on the average household size of 1.68, this places the residents below the poverty level.  100% of the residents place their occupation in agriculture, forestry, fishing (dear God, I hope I’ve never eaten a fish caught in those waters!) or hunting.

The streets of Bombay Beach.[13]

The streets of Bombay Beach.

Bombay Beach was once a thriving little beach front community.[14]

Bombay Beach was once a thriving little beach front community.

At Bombay Beach, a building that looks like this, is more than likely your neighbor.[15]

At Bombay Beach, a building that looks like this, is more than likely your neighbor.

Leaving Bombay Beach, we soon found ourselves entering Niland, the home of both Slab City and Salvation Mountain. Just before entering Niland we encountered an incredible abandoned warehouse, and where there is abandoned anything, there is graffiti. I can be hard on graffiti at times, I don’t like to see it on historical structures, or in nature. But in an urban decay setting, it can be pretty wicked when done with some sense of artistic value. Never-the-less this warehouse holds a plethora of art, and at the same time is downright spooky in a “Walking Dead” kinda way. We spent a considerable amount of time photographing every last detail.

The warehouse on the outskirts of Niland.[16]

The warehouse on the outskirts of Niland.

Urban decay[17]

Urban decay

“No Outlet”[18]

“No Outlet”

DSC_0092[19]

Death Valley Jim

DSC_0099[20]

Dirty, Broke, Beautiful & Free

DSC_0104[21]

“Repeat After Me; I AM FREE”

After Niland, we raced to the west shore for the grand finale – Salton City and Desert Shores.  Salton City proved to not be in as much of a state of disarray as I had imagined. Most of the deserted features have been torn down, and hauled away (thank you). Features such as palmless palm trees, and street curbs to nowhere continue to exist, but manage to avoid the creepiness factor of the other fallen communities.

Desert Shores, just a few miles north of Salton Sea take the cake in overall “shit-factor” of the communities of Salton Sea. Yes, it just marginally overtakes Bombay Beach due to the utter disregard for the environment. Every home, every business, everything closest to the shore looks as if a bomb went off with everything in it. It appears as if no effort has ever been taken to clean up this ungodly mess, while people are living alongside a scene which resembles that of a terrorist bombing! In actuality this is the result of several floods that have taken place of the years, but that is no excuse to have left things as they are currently found.

Palmless palms in Salton City.[22]

Palmless palms in Salton City.

Desert Shores, aka: HELL[23]

Desert Shores, aka: HELL

Little effort, if any has taken place to clean up the shoreline community of Desert Shores.[24]

Little effort, if any has taken place to clean up the shoreline community of Desert Shores.

If anything, it has been made worse by illegal dumping.[25]

If anything, it has been made worse by illegal dumping.

“Ground Zero”[26]

“Ground Zero”

“No Trespassing,” really? Who would want to?[27]

“No Trespassing,” really? Who would want to?

“We’ll just leave this right here, along the street.”[28]

“We’ll just leave this right here, along the street.”

Now here is the kicker, a campaign to “Save Our Sea”! Yes, that would be a wonderful thing, but to save it would be to remove the human elements that tarnish it. Not an attempt to return it to the days of hotels, and yacht clubs, but to literally remove all evidence of human occupation. If that is too extreme, those in the communities that support this campaign, can start with the cleanup of places like Desert Shores and Bombay Beach.

Interesting enough these are the thoughts of someone who isn’t even an environmental nutter, but I do have to admit that places like this that may finally make me turn.

Lead by example.[29]

Lead by example.

 

 

About the author: Death Valley Jim is an author, photographer, radio talk show host, explorer, and adventurer.  Jim can be heard every Saturday morning in the Coachella Valley on KPTR 1450-AM[30] from 8am-9am, on The Death Valley Jim Radio Program.  You can also visit him on his website[31].[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0056.jpg
  2. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/lake_cahuilla.jpg
  3. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0028.jpg
  4. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0029.jpg
  5. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_00151.jpg
  6. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0010.jpg
  7. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0016.jpg
  8. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0017.jpg
  9. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0039.jpg
  10. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0043.jpg
  11. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0050.jpg
  12. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0053.jpg
  13. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0066.jpg
  14. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0074.jpg
  15. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0071.jpg
  16. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0117.jpg
  17. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0086.jpg
  18. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0091.jpg
  19. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0092.jpg
  20. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0099.jpg
  21. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0104.jpg
  22. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0121.jpg
  23. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0143.jpg
  24. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0151.jpg
  25. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0148.jpg
  26. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0155.jpg
  27. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0160.jpg
  28. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0182.jpg
  29. [Image]: https://coachellavalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0168.jpg
  30. KPTR 1450-AM: https://www.kptr1450.com
  31. website: https://www.deathvalleyjim.com
  32. Tweet: https://twitter.com/share

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