The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline lake at the southern end of California. For thousands of years, the Colorado River has flowed into the lake’s valley, or has been diverted around it, depositing silt and creating fertile farmland. Roughly 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers) of agricultural development stretches from the Salton Sea to the US-Mexico border, growing a variety of crops like asparagus, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, and dates. Crop rotation accounts for