THE SALTON SEA IS ONE STINKY LAKE:

Sarah,

The Salton Sea is a lake in south-central California.  This week, horrible smells emanating from the lake travelled more than 100 miles and reached Los Angeles.  How is this lake so stinky?  Here is what experts believe:

1. The Salton Sea was created in 1905 when the Colorado River flooded and water flowed into the area.

2.  The lake is now replenished by agricultural run-off water.  This water is laden with chemicals that give the Salton Sea its trademark murky color.

3. Fish populations in the lake adhere to a sort of boom and bust cycle.  After rapid population growth, oxygen in the shallow lake is depleted and the depletion causes all the fish to die at the same time.

4. These seasonal die-offs add to a collection of stinky decay of the bottom of the lake.

5.  Last week, thunderstorms and gusty winds churned the shallow waters of the lake.  This allowed all the stinky smells at the bottom of the lake to escape into the air.

6.  Wind then blew these smells into the greater Los Angeles area.

7.  The alternative theory is that the smell is from geysers shooting sulfur dioxide into the air.  In recent years, the lake has receded into the desert and this has uncovered the geysers.

Bottom line: The Salton Sea is one stinky lake.