“Isn’t the Salton Sea still a recreational water body?”
oh no, not by longshot.
I drove around it and took pictures a few years ago.
one side was mostly empty except for a really trashed trailer park that had a bar.
The other side has some housing, but most people only stay part time because of the smell (or so I have heard) it did not smell real bad when I was there, but sometimes it gets very bad.
further past the Sea there is Jesusland and Slab City which are interesting as well.
Have you done a search on the question?