The Salton Sea: an apocalyptic paradise

By Karoo Meyer

Photo by of Karoo Meyer

The Salton Sea, an apocalyptic paradise that poses a toxic area of discussion for the small community of North Shore.

Michele Penaloza and her family have lived in the North Shore community of the Salton Sea for two decades, with her mother and father arriving from Mexico in the early 2000s. Michele is currently a student at California State University, San Bernardino, and is studying kinesiology. Not only is she a student, but she is a strong advocate for her community.

Life isn’t easy for the small community, for not only do temperatures reach extreme variants of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, but the receding shoreline of the lake is causing a variety of dangerous concerns. These concerns regard pollution and an overall disregard for help from the government.

Over the last few decades, the Salton Sea has been drying up. Although according to Michele, the last five years have been exceptionally bad. “We used to go fishing, of course we couldn’t swim, but we enjoyed relaxing and enjoying the view. We can’t do that anymore,” Michele had said. With the rapid evaporation of the lake, toxic pollution looms over North Shore. The pollution has affected all aspects of life, from wildlife populations such as the birds and fish, to further exaggerating asthma and many other health problems.

Photo by of Karoo Meyer

Michele and her community have continuously fought to receive help from the government. Her mother Chela has also been a strong community member and advocate who has pushed for local transportation, care centers, and even a local elementary school. The community wishes they could be given an area code for all their taxes go to the neighboring city Mecca. Michele hopes that the community will one day receive funding for proper health clinics and that that the Salton Seas problem would be thoroughly acknowledged. Sadly, just because it isn’t an immediate effect, the Salton Sea’s pollution isn’t a massive topic of concern. Once the winds start pushing the pollution to neighboring counties or even further, perhaps that will be the time of action. Although it may be too late.

Photo by of Karoo Meyer

While most people recognize the Salton Sea as an environmental issue, agriculture-based work life is just as problematic. With a large grid of agriculture, the North Shore produces a variety of different crops. From dates, lettuce, and even white cucumber. Farm work is polluted with bad pay, long hours, and polluted soil, which you can thank the Salton Sea for. The North Shore youth work alongside their families, for the cost of living is simply too much. Michele has worked in the fields for she wanted to experience it firsthand, and in the height of summer, all she can say is that it is inhumane.

With the cost of living being outrageous, underpaid workers, extreme environmental temperatures, and the toxic pollution that the lake produces, life is hard. Michele has hope, but with the constant brush-off from the government, that optimism is truly tested.