The Imperial Valley
Although not entirely an oasis, this miracle of the desert gives life in abundance.
Imperial Valley, Past and Present
The Imperial Valley desert is entirely irrigated with waters from the Colorado River. Imperial County or Imperial Valley, as it is known for, extends eastward 104 miles (167.37km) from San Diego County’s Mountains to the Colorado River that runs alongside Yuma, Arizona and under the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge, then the Imperial Valley extends southward for 50 miles (80km) from the largest body of inland water in California, the Salton Sea (a saline lake) to the US Mexico Border. There is (was) a similar body of water Laguna Salada – Salt Lake in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, (Valle de Mexicali).
The Salton Sea once a booming vacation destination in the 1950’s, now sits abandon. The Imperial Valley or Valle de Mexicali extends from the edge of the Coachella Valley to the Gulf of California also known as the Mar de Cortés, Valle de Mexicali and is almost completely below sea level, 235 feet (72 meters). The Imperial Valley and Valle de Mexicali are separated by the US Mexico Border Fence (Wall). The Salton Sink is the lowest point in the Imperial Valley and is where the Salton Sea lays. The hot desert valley has extreme daily temperatures. The summers are very hot, and winters are mild to cold. The area was once part of the Gulf of California, which was cut off by damlike deposits of the Colorado River Delta Fan. The Colorado River has been diverted into the All-American Canal that runs through valley’s sand dunes and irrigates the area. (Imperial Irrigation District [IID], 2015)
The whole valley is surrounded by barren mountains; the area was considered a wasteland until 1901. The prior Imperial Canal ran through the valley into Mexico, yet a miscalculation and the Floodwaters of 1905-1907 destroyed the canal channel and created the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea was supplied by fresh water yet is now only maintained by irrigation runoff. The area’s irrigational runoff, Mexicali, Mexico’s untreated city sewage, and industrial waste has led to the body of water becoming hazardous. The Salton Sea toxic waters have been receding due to the evaporation of water. The Salton Sea is considered an ecological disaster. (Imperial Irrigation District [IID], 2015)
Britannica (2023), “Development of the region languished until the completion of Hoover Dam in 1935 and the All-American Canal in 1940. The valley, with some 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of irrigation canals, contains about 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) of cultivated land. Products include truck crops, alfalfa, cotton, sugar beets, and livestock. El Centro, Brawley, and Calexico are regional commercial centers, as is Mexicali, Mexico”.
The Oasis Verde is not affiliated with the IID, KPBS or ExxonMobil.
