ABSTRACT
California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, is situated in the southeast corner of the state in a closed basin at the bottom of a 7851-mi2 watershed. Over 85% of the water entering the Salton Sea results from agricultural run-off with less than 3% of inflow from annual precipitation. The Salton Sea supports a thriving fishery and provides important habitat for millions of migratory birds. More than two-thirds of bird species in the continental United States have been recorded at the Salton Sea and adjacent areas. The long-term viability of the Salton Sea ecosystem is threatened by increasing salinity and eutrophication resulting from the nutrient-rich agricultural drainage. More imminently, the viability of the Salton Sea is threatened by proposed water transfers and reductions of inflow, potentially concentrating pre-existing salts and causing the sea to recede by as much as one-third of its surface area and more than half its total depth.
