Once the playground of Hollywood’s rich and famous, the Salton Sea is slowly disappearing. The sea was formed by accident in 1905 when the Colorado River broke its banks and flooded the dry Salton Sink. Resorts were built around its shores and thrived during the 1950s and 60s, but by the 1970s as the water became saltier and polluted from farmland runoff, its popularity began to decline. With little rainfall to replenish it, the sea has been evaporating for decades and will eventually return to desert..