Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea | KQED Truly CA
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN recommends it as an engaging, funny and fascinating documentary, and cites it in threads on the Salton Sea's history and environmental decline.
What it is
A KQED Truly CA documentary narrated by John Waters about the Salton Sea, a once-glamorous California vacation spot now home to an eccentric community. It covers the area's economic, political and environmental problems and features Salvation Mountain.
Recommended by 4 HN commenters across 4 different months, 2017 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec nolanpro · 2017-06 · on “A California Dream”
Theres a great documentary "Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea" (narrated by John Waters!) Definitely one of my top 10 documentaries [this video]
Strong rec darrenf · 2023-07 · on “Poisons and Perils on the Salton Sea”
The similarly named Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea is one of my favourite documentaries of all time, I find it so fascinating: [this video] The video made to sell the place as a paradise in the 60s is also fascinating: [LINK]
Recommends scrose · 2021-10 · on “Where have all the insects gone?”
For anyone unfamiliar with the history of the Salton sea and the effect all these chemicals have had on the surrounding areas, check out this documentary: [this video] A part of me wants to visit just to fully take in the reality of it all. But I don’t think my family would be too happy.
Recommends lizknope · 2025-11 · on “Toxic Salton Sea dust triggers changes in lung microbiome after just one week”
Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea narrated by John Waters [this video] I watched this 20 years ago. It's a really interesting and funny documentary about the Salton Sea and the area around it. [LINK]
Cites TSiege · 2022-04 · on “Lithium drilling advances at the Salton Sea”
The salton sea is a man made disaster. I couldn't see how it could be any worse than it is now. Given the dire climate situation we're in, it seems like a no brainer [this video]
Cites TSiege · 2024-01 · on “The lithium revolution has arrived at California's Salton Sea”
I remember watching a documentary on the Salton Sea and it interviewed some residents who were holding out that eventually there was gonna be a turn around and kept buying real estate in the hope of that. I wonder how they're fairing now with this latest development Doc in question: Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea [this video]