-244.00 ft NGVD29
level Reading is unusually low for late September.
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 10254005) and updates live when you load this page.
Salton Sea through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1987–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.
This year vs the years that matter
This year's trace against last year and the driest and wettest years on record — the drought-context question every lake regular asks.
- 2026 (this year)
- 2025 (last year, driest on record)
- 1995 (wettest on record)
Full pool, datum, and the gauge
"Full pool" here means the conservation pool — the level the lake is designed to hold for water supply and recreation, not the flood-control space above it. The full explainer covers flood pool and dead pool too.
| Full pool | not published by the operator |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USGS gauge 10254005 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | NGVD29 |
| Last verified | August 20, 2026 |
LakeDates reports lake level, not ramp status. Whether a given ramp or marina is usable at this level varies ramp by ramp — call the marina before you tow.
Quick answers
What is the lake level for Salton Sea today?
Salton Sea is at -244.00 ft (NGVD29) as of September 22, 2026 — Reading is unusually low for late September.
Is Salton Sea full?
Natural terminal lake; USGS gauge doesn't publish a conservation-pool figure for Salton Sea, so this page shows the reading against the lake's own seasonal history instead.
What is full pool for Salton Sea?
Natural terminal lake; USGS gauge doesn't publish a single conservation-pool elevation for Salton Sea. The seasonal chart shows the range the lake actually runs instead.