San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds

San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds
Bird's-eye view of the multi-colored ponds
Location	San Francisco Bay
Coordinates	37°29′49″N 122°06′52″W / 37.496887°N 122.114525°W / 37.496887; -122.114525
Location in California

The San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds are a roughly 16,500-acre (6,700 ha) part of the San Francisco Bay that have been used as salt evaporation ponds since the California Gold Rush era. Most of the ponds were once wetlands in the cities of Redwood City, Newark, and Hayward, and other parts of the bay.

Salt production goes back to when the Ohlone were the only people in the area.^[1] After the large influx of people to the area in the 1850s, industrial production began. At first, production was predominantly small family operations, but over time, these were replaced by companies such as the Oliver Salt Company in Mount Eden and Leslie Salt in Newark. Eventually, Cargill bought out the companies to become the dominant producer in the area. Since 2003, a move has arisen to close the ponds and return the area to its natural state. This process may take as long as 30 years.