CEE 200-2 Seminar: Professor Michael K. Stenstrom will present: “The Salton Sea – A Human and Ecological Tragedy”

Speaker: Michael K. Stenstrom
Affiliation: UCLA CEE

Professor Michael K. Stenstrom, Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA, will present: “The Salton Sea – A Human and Ecological Tragedy

Summary:
The Salton Sea is an interesting yet tragic phenomenon in California. It is frequently called an “engineering mistake,” and writers who use only this description show their lack of understanding of the Salton Sea.  The Salton Sea is actually a lake and is the largest lake in California. The current Salton Sea was created when developers cut an unengineered opening in the dikes of the Colorado River, which quickly turned into a flood that lasted two years, inundating several communities and filling the Salton Sink to create a 500 mile² lake.

The Salton Sea periodically formed over the past 2000 years by the flooding of the Colorado River. Native Americans called it Lake Cahuilla.  As the Colorado River changed course, Lake Cahuilla periodically dried up and then was formed again by the new flooding of the river.

Today’s Salton Sea has been sustained by agricultural runoff from Imperial Valley farming activities. Because the Sea has no outlet, its salinity has increased from freshwater concentrations at its formation to more than 55 g/L (~1.5 times seawater salinity). The Sea has changed from a freshwater lake to a saltwater environment, rich in game fish to a super saline lake with only Tilapia surviving. Scheduled water diversions will cause a great portion of the Sea to dry up, exposing a playa that is rich in metals and potentially hazardous because of dust storms.

The seminar will present the history of the Salton Sea, how it has evolved, the floods that destroyed much of the surrounding communities, the risks associated with its future, water quality data and proposed solutions.

Biography:
Michael K. Stenstrom is a distinguished professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UCLA. He has worked in several areas of environmental engineering, including wastewater treatment and reclamation, stormwater management and is now studying the Salton Sea and solutions for management.

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Feb 16, 2017
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location:
Boelter Hall 4275
4275 Boelter Hall Los Angeles CA 90095