Breaking Point

Gr 7 Up—An engaging and timely production that gives an overview of the history of the Salton Sea in southern California from its creation, its evolution into a major tourist destination, and its function as a wildlife habitat and attraction for fishers and birders to its current state of deterioration. Due to drought, toxicity, and political neglect, the shrinking sea has reached a breaking point. Though it has been studied for the last 50 years, no meaningful solutions have been enacted. The film points to the lack of legislative and political will to move forward as the crux of the problem. Interviews with experts in wildlife and environmental fields, water district managers, and residents provide a picture of the disaster faced. Water rights for agriculture, wildlife habitat, and the large human population are all on the line. For years, choking dust storms carrying toxic particulates from the evaporation-exposed flats have caused health problems, adversely impacting living conditions for people in the area. Many birds rely on this location, which is along a major migratory flyway, and have died from the concentrated salinity of the water, as have many species of fish. Facts are well presented, and there is much to think about and discuss as other natural and urban areas face similar problems around the globe.