Salton Sea
Imperial County, California, USA · 33.30°, -115.80° · Drying lake
An accidental desert lake is drying up, exposing pesticide-laden dust that blows into nearby towns with high asthma rates.
The Salton Sea formed in 1905 when the Colorado River burst its irrigation canals, and it was sustained for a century by farm runoff. As water was transferred to San Diego, inflows shrank and the lake has been receding, leaving an ever-saltier, fish-killing basin and a dusty shoreline. Children in the Imperial Valley have some of California's highest asthma rates. The lakebed brine is now eyed for lithium.
In the game
Salton Sea flares up as Polluted water. The fix is a gesture: drag through the floating waste to sweep it up. Done right, it becomes Water cleaned ♻️. Finish all three steps of its chain in one round for a combo, or take your time in Explore mode: a place you fully restore stays green on your map for good.
🧭 Fly there and restore it▶ Play a 60-second round