[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Didn’t the Imperial Valley in California once hold a large fresh-water lake? And that land development caused it to eventually disappear???

Perhaps you are thinking of the Salton Sea, formed originally as a branch of the Sea of Cortez, which empties in droughts and fills in periods of heavy rain, Right now it is pretty dry and (I hear) gives off quite a stench.

[BradyLS]

That could be it. I also found out that a couple lakes in the mountains above L.A. are greatly reduced due to the city’s needs.