Why Imperial Valley Stays Dry Below Sea Level (w music)

How can a town sit below sea level, and still stay dry? Parts of California’s Imperial Valley

lie more than 200 feet below sea level. Yet cities like El Centro aren’t underwater because

geography controls everything. The valley sits inside a closed desert basin,

surrounded by higher ground that blocks ocean water. Unlike coastal cities below sea level,

the Imperial Valley stays dry because there’s simply no path for ocean water to reach it.

In the early 1900s, engineers diverted Colorado River water here for farming. A canal failure

accidentally flooded the basin, creating the Salton Sea. Water can flow in,

but it can’t naturally flow out to the ocean. Extreme heat causes water to evaporate