The Salton Sea Adventure

Visited the Salton Sea out in Imperial County with one of the photography clubs I belong to. It was a fun shoot, taking pics in the Bombay Beach area on the east side of this inland sea. Below are some photos shot there.

A little Salton Sea history: At the beginning of the 20th century, an aqueduct was built to feed the new Imperial Valley agricultural farms of southeastern California with water diverted from the Colorado River to the east.

After completion, the water burst through the dike and flooded the desert floor for two years, forming the present day Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is below sea level and is the largest lake in California, even eclipsing in size Lake Tahoe.

At one time many moons ago and being a part of the Sea of Cortez to its south, this region which includes the Anza Borrego Desert nearby, was submerged underwater. Eventually, this northern terminus of the Sea of Cortez was cut off by silt deposits built up from the Colorado River dumping into the Sea. Over time, it became off and then on, a lake that dried up and reformed to the rhythms of cyclical rainfall variables. The latest iteration of this lake formed in 1905 with the consequent flooding by the dike breach.

It is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, although not as salty as the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It also contains large amounts of minerals derived from the soils below it, from the Colorado River water itself, from agricultural runoff, and the fact that there is no outlet in order to flush out these accumulating salts and minerals.

At one time during the 50's and early 60's, its shores became a mecca for water and sport fishing enthusiasts. Land was parceled and divided, lots sold and small communities sprang up all along various sections of the lake. One such area was Bombay Beach that boasted a sizable marina, four bars along the shoreline and scores of homes and trailers for visitors, snowbirds and permanent residents.

Fish such as corvina and tilapia were introduced, which spawned a popular and noteworthy sport fishing industry. In fact, record-size corvina were commonly caught that rivaled the largest catches from the Pacific, its original home.

Over time the lake became more and more saline and the buildup of minerals, coupled with reduced water flow into the lake and agricultural runoff full of leached out minerals that is also infused with pesticides, the lake began to deteriorate ecologically, and the imbalance and eventual biotic collapse began.

Large algal blooms caused by the warm water, little water circulation and increased fertility of the sea itself caused oxygen deprivation, which killed off countless thousands of fishes. The buildup of pesticides and heavy metals affected the bird populations here, resulting in massive die-offs too. The Salton Sea is a critical overwintering and migratory stopover for birds.

Periodic die-offs of birds and fishes are now commonplace. There was a massive fish die-off just recently (I think this past year or two) of which its aftermath can be witnessed along the shores of the lake by large bands of white fish bones.

Some old and abandoned pilings left over from a little pier or boat landing. Notice the salt and mineral buildup.

Dead tilapia floating along the shore.

This is not common flotsam or jetsam. It is the piled up and bleached bones of countless dead fishes, mostly tilapia.

What's left of a vacation trailer by the shore.

One of the reasons we went out there was to do some light painting. Light painting in photography is the application of artificial light on a subject in order for it to show up or stand out in a darkened environment. Here, we opened up our shutters for a period of time (anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes) and "painted" the old pilings with flashlights.

Here, one of the members brought some steel wool, stuffed it in an egg beater and attached it to a three foot cord. After lighting it on fire, he twirled it around while we had our shutters opened for the duration of the flaming steel wool.

Same thing, this time inside one of the abandoned and dilapidated trailers.