I've always been fascinated by the Salton Sea. A brief history? About 60 years ago, a flood happened while an irrigation project was being constructed, and the Colorado River jumped its banks. The water poured into an old dry lake basin for 2 years before the river could be re-directed. The resulting sea was immense. Someone stocked it with fish and people built resort communities... all was well for about 10 years or so, when it became obvious that the lake was a fluke with no reliable source or outflow. The shoreline retreated, the water got saltier, fish died by the millions and the people left... mostly. Today, the lake is somewhat sustained by run-off from irrigated farms to the south (meaning the lake is getting more polluted all the time), and people still live along the depressing, smelly shore (which is essentially made from the bones of dead fish). There is talk of bringing the lake back to life (it is an oasis for migrating waterfowl - though, likely not a very healthy one), but it would take quite a bit of work and money.