Bombay Beach
During the 1950s, Bombay Beach was a popular beach-going destination on the eastern shore of the Salton Sea. The agricultural runoff that sustained the lake contained not only fertilizer and pesticides, but high quantities of salt. In the 1970s and 80s, the salinity rose enough to kill off most of the lake’s fish species and create an ecological disaster. Many residents around the Salton Sea were eventually driven out by the odor of the dying fish and the fear of health problems. Bombay Beach became a derelict “living ghost town” which, in turn, attracted photographers, filmmakers, urban explorers, and tourists. A 2018 article in The Guardian stated that it was “enjoying a rebirth of sorts with an influx of artists, intellectuals and hipsters who have turned it into a bohemian playground.” The Bombay Beach Biennale, an annual arts festival, began in 2016.
Salton Sea area, Imperial County
Photographer: Ronan Murray
Photographer: Jim Albert