https://nbcpalmsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/03/ss2fixed.mp4 Once known as a bustling tourist attraction, the Salton Sea’s reputation has changed to a shrinking and polluted body of water. That change is mainly due to a decline in Colorado River flow and agriculture runoff. On the eastern shore, the once popular resort town Bombay Beach has turned into a partially abandoned artistic community, home to just 200 people and eclectic art. But as the water pulls away from the shore, a change is taking place, giving the town new life, and non-profit Audubon California is working to support it. “There’s a phenomenon happening at the Salton Sea. Where the water no longer meets the sea the water has permeated and percolated through the ground, creating beautiful wetlands. Audobon is working to quantify these wetlands restore and create a model we can use elsewhere,” said Frank Ruiz, the Salton Sea program director for Audubon California. The permitting process for Bombay wetlands is expected to be finished in 2025. A few miles down the road, other important work is underway, the state’s Salton Sea Management Program has started its third vegetation enhancement effort, covering