Salton Sea Resort: Death in the Desert

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Salton Sea resort area seemed like a paradise. Families flocked to California's largest lake to go boating, swimming, and fishing. Homes, hotels, and shops sprang up around the clear blue lake. Over time, however, the Salton Sea started to change. Globs of slimy green algae began to cover the lake's surface. Then, millions of dead fish started to wash up onto the shore. Today, very few people live in the towns surrounding the lake. What happened to the resort area that was once called the "West's Greatest Playground"? Look inside to find out more about the Salton Sea, including what caused the changes to the giant lake.