The Salton Sea, located southeast of the Coachella Valley and surrounded by Imperial Valley agricultural communities, is a worsening natural disaster as the inland "sea" — located in the natural basin of ancient Lake Cahuilla — dries up and its shore shrinks under drought conditions and diverted irrigation runoff, which once kept the water levels high. But while local residents hope to replenish its water supply, others see it as an opportunity to tap into the dried-up lake's natural resources of lithium.
