It began to form again in 1893. In 1905, the Colorado River flooded and was accidentally diverted into the Salton Trough, thus creating the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea was originally a fresh water lake. Because it is a closed system, with no outlet, water is lost only through evaporation. The salts from the surrounding environment have been concentrated in the sea for many years, and now it is more saline than the ocean.
Evaporation also concentrates pesticides and other pollutants .
The Salton Sea is about 60 km long. Beneath it is the Imperial Valley, one of the major agricultural zones in California. Notice that in this image, there is water in Laguna Salida, a large playa lake on the Mexican side of the International Border. Also, notice that in this image, there is no water in Laguna Salada .