Avishai Artsy

Developers went in. They built resorts and yacht clubs. People were water skiing. The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby all vacationed there. The place was hopping. It was called the American Riviera.

But then things started to really go downhill for the Salton Sea. Beginning around the 70s and 80s, the agricultural runoff that had been feeding the sea turned the sea toxic. Fish and birds started dying en masse. The sea began to shrink. That exposed sea beds. The wind started kicking up clouds of toxic dust.

But then things started to really go downhill for the Salton Sea. Beginning around the 70s and 80s, the agricultural runoff that had been feeding the sea turned the sea toxic. Fish and birds started dying en masse. The sea began to shrink. That exposed sea beds. The wind started kicking up clouds of toxic dust.

But then things started to really go downhill for the Salton Sea. Beginning around the 70s and 80s, the agricultural runoff that had been feeding the sea turned the sea toxic. Fish and birds started dying en masse. The sea began to shrink. That exposed sea beds. The wind started kicking up clouds of toxic dust.

And right now you have asthma rates in Imperial Valley that are among the highest in the state. Huh. A lot of people left, the resorts turned to ghost towns, and now only a few hundred people live in the area around the Salton Sea. It's got kind of a Mad Max, post-apocalyptic vibe now.

And right now you have asthma rates in Imperial Valley that are among the highest in the state. Huh. A lot of people left, the resorts turned to ghost towns, and now only a few hundred people live in the area around the Salton Sea. It's got kind of a Mad Max, post-apocalyptic vibe now.

And right now you have asthma rates in Imperial Valley that are among the highest in the state. Huh. A lot of people left, the resorts turned to ghost towns, and now only a few hundred people live in the area around the Salton Sea. It's got kind of a Mad Max, post-apocalyptic vibe now.

Yeah, things are really starting to look up for the Imperial Valley. And it's not just President Trump that's excited about this. California officials even have a nickname for the area, Lithium Valley. Maybe not as famous as Silicon Valley, but it's a neat bit of marketing. Governor Gavin Newsom even visited.

Yeah, things are really starting to look up for the Imperial Valley. And it's not just President Trump that's excited about this. California officials even have a nickname for the area, Lithium Valley. Maybe not as famous as Silicon Valley, but it's a neat bit of marketing. Governor Gavin Newsom even visited.

Yeah, things are really starting to look up for the Imperial Valley. And it's not just President Trump that's excited about this. California officials even have a nickname for the area, Lithium Valley. Maybe not as famous as Silicon Valley, but it's a neat bit of marketing. Governor Gavin Newsom even visited.

Local officials are into it. So from the federal government on down, there is a real desire to make this happen. How are you? Nice to meet you.

Local officials are into it. So from the federal government on down, there is a real desire to make this happen. How are you? Nice to meet you.

Local officials are into it. So from the federal government on down, there is a real desire to make this happen. How are you? Nice to meet you.

And I met up with a guy who is very excited about making this happen.

And I met up with a guy who is very excited about making this happen.

And I met up with a guy who is very excited about making this happen.

So CTR is Controlled Thermal Resources, one of three companies that are looking to develop the lithium potential around the Salton Sea. I met up with him on a windy day on a bluff overlooking the Salton Sea, where he pointed out the site for the project that his company is trying to build, and it's called Hell's Kitchen.

So CTR is Controlled Thermal Resources, one of three companies that are looking to develop the lithium potential around the Salton Sea. I met up with him on a windy day on a bluff overlooking the Salton Sea, where he pointed out the site for the project that his company is trying to build, and it's called Hell's Kitchen.

So CTR is Controlled Thermal Resources, one of three companies that are looking to develop the lithium potential around the Salton Sea. I met up with him on a windy day on a bluff overlooking the Salton Sea, where he pointed out the site for the project that his company is trying to build, and it's called Hell's Kitchen.

Yeah, so first his company has to build a way to get the lithium out of the ground. So as we established, lithium is in the brine, which is the salty water underneath the ground. They need to drill down over a mile deep to get to it. And because it's so deep, the brine is very hot. It's being heated by the Earth's core.