The Salt Works

The upper end of Newport Bay was developed into a commercial salt works by the Irvine Company in 1934 to produce water softener salt, with over 500 tons produced per season. The plant was leased by the Western Salt Company in 1950. Seawater was collected and moved through a series of evaporation ponds until it became 100% brine, then pumped into crystallizer vats where two products were generated. The water was pumped off and sold for use in a weed control compound, and the salt that had dropped to the bottoms of the vats was dried, collected, and transported to the mill for processing. The salt works finally closed as a result of extensive damage caused by the flood of 1968-69, though remnants of the works can still be seen below.

Newport Beach, California · United States