The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake by surface area, is experiencing an increasing rate of shoreline retreat following a policy change that shifted more water from the Colorado River to San Diego, according to a newly published study. The resulting dried lakebed is creating more polluted dust from dried agricultural runoff that affects nearby communities, researchers said. Researchers forecast that parts of the Salton Sea’s North Shore are expected to retreat 150 meters by 2030 and an additional 172 meters by 2041 given the current rate of retreat. The average rate of retreat between 2002 and 2017 rose from 12.5 meters a year to nearly 38.5 meters per year after 2018.