Valley extending from southeastern California, U.S., to Mexico.
It forms part of the Colorado Desert. Intensive irrigation began in 1901 with the opening of the Imperial Canal, which diverted water from the Colorado River . Floodwaters in 1905–07 destroyed the irrigation channels and created the Salton Sea . The valley is now watered by the Hoover Dam and the All-American Canal. With 3,000 mi (4,800 km) of irrigation canals, it contains 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) of cultivated land.