Plagues and Pleasures of the Salton Sea

Plagues and Pleasures of the Salton Sea

Tilapea Films

All NTSC DVD

Once known as the “California Riviera”, the Salton Sea is now seen as one of America’s worst ecological disasters yet few know it’s strange and intriguing history nor have they experienced the eccentrics which now populate its shores.

The modern history of the Salton Sea began in 1901 when the California Development Company, seeking to realize the Imperial Valley’s potential for agricultural growth, without much forethought for possible consequences, dug huge irrigation canals from the Colorado River. However, soon these canals became heavily silted and the inhabitants of the valley became concerned over possible flooding. Engineers then created various other canals in the Western bank of the Colorado to permit more water flow. Since the likely effect of these canals was not especially well considered, they caused a major flood in which the Colorado river flowed into the valley destroying much of the infrastructure but creating the Salton Sea.

Rather than evaporating the sea was fed from runoff from surrounding farms and became a 1950’s Mecca for water sports, fishing and living the high life. It developed into a resort town and many believed it would rival Palm Springs. However, the Salton Sea was hit by a range of disasters which soon decimated the once thriving community. There were floods, hurricanes and then the salinity increased in the Sea until the fish and birds began to die. There is much debate about why this occurred including rumours of waste from Mexico, increased chemical loads from surrounding farms to the simple problem of not enough fresh water coming into the system. In any event the Salton Sea and its community has been left to a few eccentrics living in a strange post apocalyptic world. Congressman Sonny Bono dedicated himself to trying to save the region but after his unexpected demise in a skiing accident there was lots of goodwill but little real action. His wife continues his work and various plans are in place, but years later the Salton Sea still looks and smells like a wasteland.

Each year teams must work to control the spread of bacteria to stop the major die off of birds which now have no other ocean habitat to use and while it has major environmental significance, it seems governmental departments have been slow to act due to the high cost.

Plagues and Pleasures of the Salton Sea is narrated by John Waters and is part environmental documentary, part journey to the twilight zone. The inhabitants of the Salton Sea are a strange bunch from a strange religious zealot building a mountain for God, a Hungarian revolutionary called Hunky Daddy, a nudist, various elderly folk who still seem to see the Sea as it was in its prime and a developing ghetto. There are still those who feel it is at the “cusp” of something big and are promoting the land in the vain hope of making a fortune.

This is a superb combination of history, environmental issues, humour, pathos and cynicism. There is a melancholy feel too as you look at what the Salton Sea was and see what forty years can do to a thriving community.

The film has been masterfully made with a superb score by “The Friends of Dean Martinez” and the dry wit of John Waters. It includes both the theatrical release and a shorter environmental edition.

The extras are really quite something. There is a great piece on Leonard, the strange religious fanatic who is creating a mountain for god from Adobe and loads of paint. The original Sixties Miracle in the Desert Salton Sea Promotional film. A nice short on The Friends of Dean Martinez and the development of the score to the film, a very short look at skateboarding in the empty pools of Salton Sea and a surreal short called LSD a go go on LSD and the CIA which only seems connected to the main doco by the fact that Sonny Bono is in it !

This review will appear in Volume 2:1 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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