Torres-Martinez former chairman, now tribe advisor, sounds alarm on Salton Sea’s uncertain future

By Janeth Cisneros

The Salton Sea, once a hotspot destination for tourists, now presents environmental and cultural risks to indigenous communities. 

Today, minimal freshwater inflow has resulted in high concentrations of toxins for several decades. Pesticides running from nearby farms and unregulated sewage from the New River near Mexicali continue to contaminate the Salton Sea.

The Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Tribe resides on the northern part of the Salton Sea near Desert Shores in Imperial County. Its former chairman and current Procurement Director, Thomas Tortez, describes the Salton Sea as a dead and toxic sea. 

Tortez says this contamination creates a stench that people can smell from miles away, making it very toxic. 

“There are toxic metals accumulated in the middle of the Salton Sea and underneath,” he explains. “That's the source of the red and green algae blooms. When it’s summer, the scent gets out into the air, which itself is not toxic, but when the wind blows, all of those pesticides and toxicity of the sewage come from the South and get into the beach, the sand, and then get airborne.”

Tortez mentions that the strong winds release dust containing toxins and bacteria into the air, triggering asthma and respiratory diseases in the local community. Studies by the American Lung Association show that the communities near the Salton Sea experience some of the worst particle pollution in the U.S., largely due to particle pollution from dust and other particles. 

After learning that the dust particles were harmful to human health, Tortez advocated for a study to identify the bacteria in the dust.

“If that bacteria is getting in people, in their lungs, and it's triggering whatever, we don't know what and how long that bacteria has mutated and formed and what kind of diseases it's going to cause, but people are getting sick around the Salton Sea,” Tortez said.

Tortez claims he prioritized restoration efforts as chairman and a member of the Salton Sea Authority Committee. He explained how hay bales, sand dunes, vegetation, gravel, rocks, berms, and buried tires were used to reduce wind impact and dust. He also advocates for bringing in fresh water to remove the toxins. 

Cultural Significance of the Salton Sea

Aside from environmental dangers, Tortez says the Salton Sea remains important for the tribe’s cultural traditions and stories. Tortez explains his tribe has a sacred connection to the land and water, one that embodies adaptability and endurance through centuries of environmental change.

“In our emblem, on our cards and flag, there’s a story that talks about our ancestors once, remembers the time the deer came down and drank from the fresh water under the moon. They call it ‘Mau-Wal-Mah Su-Kutt Menvill’, meaning ‘under the deer moon’. That’s in our stories, traditions, and customs– is remembering that being part of our ecosystem,” Tortez said. 

This connection to the Salton Sea area traces back to the ancient Cahuilla Lake, when the Colorado River would flood every 500 years. Evidence can be seen in fish traps throughout the mountains and petroglyphs carved with stories about the water and fish on the foothills.

Tortez’s ancestral family dates back to the 1850s when villages were settled near the Desert Shores. 

“I remember going there when I was a child with my mom and dad, swimming in the water. They were fishing. I used to go in there [Salton Sea],” Tortez said.

Tortez refers to the Salton Sea as a place of Mecca in its historic landmark for toolmaking.

“In the southern end of the Salton Sea, there is a patch called Obsidian Butte– Obsidian is what we made our tools from. We would go down there, extract, and gather obsidian. The evidence is all through these mountains and deserts,” Tortez said.

Despite the current situation of the Salton Sea, the cultural resources of the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Tribe hold cultural significance in their oral histories. The tribe remains committed to protecting what remains of the Obsidian Butte and Mud Pots. The area surrounding the Mud Pots is currently inaccessible and is under use by Controlled Thermal Resources for its Hell’s Kitchen Project.

“It depicts what we advocated as far as being on the Salton Sea– to one day see it back to the way it used to be because that’s how we remember it,” Tortez said. 

Janeth Cisneros is a student journalist participating in The Frontline Observer’s environmental justice reporting internship, supported by the Inland Empire Journalism Hub and Fund.