![sea archiver sea archiver](http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/41/09419999.jpg)
Though this event had clear anthropogenic influences, archaeological, stratigraphical and radiocarbon evidence throughout the basin have confirmed that the Colorado River has flooded the region multiple times over the past 1,300 years. The current sea was formed when a flood on the Colorado River caused a breach in an irrigation canal. Water transfers to urban areas and declining water levels due to a warming climate have caused the Salton Sea to become increasingly saline, which poses major threats to the Sea's ecology and to public health. To ensure continued agricultural and ecological productivity and protect public health, management of the Sea and surrounding wetlands will require increased research and mitigation efforts. This poses major threats to the Sea's ecology, as well as risks to human health, most notably in the noxious dust produced by the drying lakebed. However, since 2018, a large portion of the water previously allocated for agriculture has been diverted to urban regions, causing the Sea to shrink and become increasingly saline.
![sea archiver sea archiver](https://www.albertville.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DSC06414.jpg)
The runoff, which drains into the Sea, has historically maintained water levels and supported critical fish and migratory bird habitats.
![sea archiver sea archiver](https://alesayistorage.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mobile-shelving-2-1.jpg)
Colorado River irrigation water has supported agricultural productivity in the basin's Coachella and Imperial valleys since the Sea formed over 100 years ago, bringing billions of dollars per year to the region and helping to feed households across the United States. The condition of the Salton Sea, California's largest lake, has profound implications for people and wildlife both near and far.