Comments on: Film review: Plagues & Pleasures of the Salton Sea

By: Siel

Siel — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:58:32 +0000

Considering the looming water crisis in Cali, I’m leaning toward Rafi’s point of view. Of course, this would need to be done in conjunction with efforts to revitalize more natural wetlands….

By: Tammi B.

Tammi B. — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:46:29 +0000

I saw this or a similar doc film a couple of months ago on Sundance Channel, I think. I recognize some of the players. Either way, I hadn’t heard of the Salton Sea prior to the documentary either. I love how the folks in the town are stuck in a visually appealing time warp.

If this is the same film, I remember the local Game & Fish Warden having to scoop birds out of the water that got caught in oil or some other “goo”. I’m pretty neutral on what, if anything, should be done about it and would like to hear compelling arguments for both sides. T

By: Rafi

Rafi — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:52:26 +0000

If I were in charge of our financial resources, I’d focus on preserving the wetlands we have left (no net loss, no gross loss, no loss whatsoever, outside of a state-of-emergency!).

I’m not sure how wise it would be, however, to let the lake dry up. Wouldn’t that lead to severe air quality problems, with contaminated sediments blowing around? That’s what happened when Owens Lake dried up.

Plus, who are the “other users” being denied water? I suspect these are hypothetical people, moving in to anticipated desert towns yet to be built. No more sprawl, thank you. I’ll take the Sea!

By: Tim Buchheim

Tim Buchheim — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:58:12 +0000

Wow, you hadn’t heard of the Salton Sea? That’s been one of the biggest ongoing environmental issues of southern California for the past two decades.

Should we allocate the necessary (huge) amount of water needed to keep the lake alive (at the expense of other users of the water, and probably permanently preventing enough water from ever reaching the Colorado river delta) or should we let it dry up and force migrating birds to go somewhere else?

Overall it’s a silly place to have a large lake, and no one would have put it there on purpose. It was good for birds while the water lasted (at least the initial clean river water.. the later agricultural runoff probably wasn’t so great for them) but it seems hard to justify sending additional water there rather than letting it stay in the Colorado river.