The Salton Sea

The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, is drying up. As it dies, it contributes large quantities of toxic dust into the air and surrounding communities. 

The Sea is often referred to as an accidental lake, as it was filled after a botched attempt to cut into the Colorado River for the agricultural area of the Imperial Valley sent the entire flow of the river into the Salton Sea for two years.

The project was photographed in 2018. This year was pivotal for the Salton Sea, as it was the first year federally mandated water transfers ended. From that point forward, the Salton Sea’s receding shoreline was expected to increase at an accelerated rate. The levels of toxic dust was also expected to rise.

My focus was to document the Lake at that point in time, including some of the dust remediation projects underway. Additionally, I photographed the only three sources of water currently feeding the terminal lake. 

I have continued to photograph the Salton Sea since 2018, tracking progress (or lack thereof) the dust remediation efforts, as well as the lake itself. I plan a fuller scale photographic follow up at the 5-year anniversary of the end of the water transfers in 2023.

The work resulted in a monograph, published by Daylight Books, in 2020.