It has an average depth of 29.9 feet and, at its deepest, is 51 feet. It contains 7.3 million acre feet of water and evaporates 1.3 million acre feet each year. The Sea is currently 228 feet below sea level. Interestingly, the bed of the Salton Sea is only five feet higher than the lowest spot in Death Valley. Presently, the fishery in the Salton Sea is thriving.
Salinity is slightly more than the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Ocean is about 34.9 TH PPM. . If the concentrated salt level of the Sea increases greater than 44 TH PPM. , it is expected that all the fish, except the Tilapia, will cease to reproduce. Tilapia can survive up to 60 TH PPM. . Since mid August of 1996, thousands of birds have died at the Salton Sea. A one-time high of 640 dead birds a day were collected.