California's Skeleton in the Closet: The Salton Sea

California's largest lake was an accident, created by the failure of dikes and canals made by engineers attempting to divert water from the Colorado River for agricultural purposes early in the 20th century. At one point the entire volume of the Colorado River was pouring into the Salton Sea.

Now the Sea is dying body of water surrounded by dying communities, with bizarre geological features and near-lawless ad-hoc towns that are some of the last remaining "off the grid" sanctuaries(?) in the US.  

Filmmaker Kyle Frager in his fantastic Never Stop Exploring tells the story of the Sea and the people and places around it.

Cover photo: Michael Fricke, Camp at the Salton Sea