World renowned for its crystal clear, azure water, Lake Tahoe
straddles the Nevada-California border. However, the lake’s
clarity has declined in the last 40 years due to accumulated
effects of development.
At 1,645 feet, Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the
United States and the 10th deepest in the world. Lake Tahoe sits
6,225 feet above sea level, and is 22 miles long and 12 miles
wide.
Approximately 40 percent of the Tahoe Basin’s rain and snow fall
directly into the lake, contributing to Lake Tahoe’s legendary
clarity. The remaining precipitation drains through granitic
soils, which are relatively sterile and create a good filtering
system.
The lake’s vitality is threatened by several factors
including invasive species (trout and bass), stormwater
runoff and increasing temperatures as a part of ongoing climate
change. Meanwhile, drought conditions have led the lake to be the
driest it has been in a century.
A bi-state effort to reduce pollution and restore Lake Tahoe’s
world-famous water clarity kept significant amounts of
stormwater and fine-grained sediment out of the lake in 2023,
despite challenges from a winter of record snowfall and runoff,
according to an annual lake performance
report released today. While a prolonged snowmelt period
in spring 2023 swept sediment into the lake and reduced
clarity, partners in the Lake Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load
Program (TMDL Program) helped keep the lake’s annual average
clarity at around 68 feet, which is in line with what has been
observed over the past two decades, the bi-state
report shows. This was achieved despite continuous periods
of heavy snowfall and cold temperatures in 2023, which hindered
street sweeping and stormwater infiltration efforts for long
stretches.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has
curated a special journal issue to discuss climate change
adaptability in California. Researchers from the University of
California, Berkeley, the University of Nevada, Reno and the
Pacific Institute contributed a scientific perspective on the
challenges and opportunities faced by California’s freshwater
ecosystems. The researchers proposed a large-scale monitoring
and modeling network as well as inclusive collaborations to
facilitate evidence-based policy aimed at enhancing resiliency
to climate change. “California has the fifth largest
economy in the world and supports many unique ecosystems, so we
need to focus on sustaining the waters of California, from
rivers and estuaries to lakes and groundwater,” Sudeep Chandra,
professor of biology at the University of Nevada, Reno and
coauthor on the paper, said.
A bi-state effort to reduce pollution and restore Lake Tahoe’s
world-famous water clarity kept significant amounts of
stormwater and fine-grained sediment out of the lake in 2023,
despite challenges from a winter of record snowfall and runoff,
according to an annual lake performance report released on
Wednesday. While a prolonged snowmelt period in spring 2023
swept sediment into the lake and reduced clarity, partners in
the Lake Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load Program helped keep the
lake’s annual average clarity at around 68 feet, which is in
line with what has been observed over the past two decades, the
bi-state report shows. This was achieved despite continuous
periods of heavy snowfall and cold temperatures in 2023, which
hindered street sweeping and stormwater infiltration efforts
for long stretches.
The annual “State of the Lake” report from the Tahoe
Environmental Research Center at the University of California,
Davis, released on August 8, shows how long-term climate trends
continue to affect the iconic lake in complex ways. The report
also describes how research at Lake Tahoe relates to work at
other lakes in the U.S. and worldwide, including the
development of new technology, and how citizens are
contributing to preserving Tahoe’s natural beauty. “From
wildfires to weather extremes, climate change is impacting Lake
Tahoe just as it is lakes and rivers across the country. Our
long-term research at Lake Tahoe can help us better understand
and perhaps mitigate these impacts,” said Alexander Forrest,
interim director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research
Center and professor in the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering.
Divers are currently assessing the status of New Zealand
mudsnail populations once again after almost one year from
their initial discovery in Lake Tahoe. As the first invasive
species discovered since before 2008, the finding last
September was quite alarming when divers on a routine invasive
weed survey came across the small invaders offshore near South
Lake Tahoe. With Lake Tahoe’s world class motorized watercraft
inspection program launched in 2008—inspecting over 100,000
boats, performing 55,000 decontaminations and intercepting all
motorized watercraft before they hit the lake—the Tahoe
Regional Planning Agency and partners have been scratching
their heads on how exactly the new invader got here. Although
they may never know for sure, one clue to the mystery is where
divers found the snails. “…not in a place you would normally
find them,” TRPA Aquatic Invasive Species Program Manager,
Dennis Zabaglo, says, “They’re called mudsnails for a reason.”
Tahoe’s clarity report card just came out, yet two sewage
spills occurring within less than two weeks of each other have
minds on murkier matters. A private contractor working for
Caltrans on Highway 28 near Gar Woods struck a North Tahoe
Public Utility District’s main sewer export pipeline the
morning of July 18. This sent an estimated 85,000 gallons of
raw sewage into Carnelian Bay. The spill closed beaches and a
myriad of health advisories ensued, warning of elevated water
bacteria counts. All advisories finally lifted on July 31.
… Beneath the aquamarine surface of Lake Tahoe is a battle
that few people see. It’s a struggle between invasive species,
transported to the lake by humans, and native species. It’s not
a fair fight — which is why water managers are attempting to
intervene and control the infestations of non-native plants and
animals. The lake is now home to nearly a dozen invasive
species. They originate from around the world and include Asian
clams, New Zealand mudsnails and bullfrogs native to the
Eastern United States. Domestic invasive species also affect
the lake, such as the goldfish people dump into Big Blue that
eventually grow into aquatic behemoths.
Emerald Bay, punctuated by a wooded island on Lake Tahoe’s
western edge, is probably the lake’s most recognizable feature.
But beneath the water’s azure surface lies an issue few have
set eyes on: about 6 miles worth of defunct century-old
telephone cables that contain toxic lead. The cables, made of
copper wires sheathed in lead, were discovered by scuba divers
12 years ago resting on the sandy lake bottom and, in places,
bent around rocks. One long segment spans the West Shore from
Baldwin Beach across the mouth of Emerald Bay up to Rubicon
Bay — including through shallow areas where people swim
and boat — and there’s a separate strand inside the
bay.
Lake Tahoe experienced its best water clarity in over 40 years
during the winter of 2023, but summer brought some of the
murkiest water on record, according to a report released
Wednesday. The annual clarity report from the University of
California, Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center showed
Tahoe had its 10th best year for water quality since record
keeping began and the best quality since 1983 with visibility
at 91.8 feet. But during the summer months, researchers noted
that the clarity was the fifth murkiest on record with an
average visibility of 53.5 feet. ”It’s important to
understand the short-term changes but even more important to be
thinking about how this lies in the context of the longer-term
trends,” said Alexander Forrest, interim director of the UC
Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.
On average, more than 60 percent of
California’s developed water supply originates in the Sierra
Nevada and the southern spur of the Cascade Range. Our water
supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests,
which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought,
wildfires and widespread tree mortality.
This tour ventured into the Sierra to examine water issues
that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts downstream and
throughout the state.
Sixty percent of California’s developed water supply
originates high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our water
supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests,
which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought,
wildfires and widespread tree mortality.
We headed into the foothills and the mountains to examine
water issues that happen upstream but have dramatic impacts
downstream and throughout the state.
GEI (Tour Starting Point)
2868 Prospect Park Dr.
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.
Lake
Tahoe, the iconic high Sierra water body that straddles
California and Nevada, has sat for more than 10,000 years at the
heart of the Washoe tribe’s territory. In fact, the name Tahoe
came from the tribal word dá’aw, meaning lake.
The lake’s English name was the source of debate for about 100
years after it was first “discovered” in 1844 by people of
European descent when Gen. John C. Fremont’s expedition made its
way into the region. Not long after, a man who carried mail on
snowshoes from Placerville to Nevada City named it Lake Bigler in
honor of John Bigler, who served as California’s third governor.
But because Bigler was an ardent secessionist, the federal
Interior Department during the Civil War introduced the name
Tahoe in 1862. Meanwhile, California kept it as Lake Bigler and
didn’t officially recognize the name as Lake Tahoe until 1945.
Sixty percent of California’s developed water supply
originates high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our water
supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests,
which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought,
wildfires and widespread tree mortality.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes
extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of
dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern
day issues.
This beautiful 24×36-inch poster, suitable for framing, displays
the rivers, lakes and reservoirs, irrigated farmland, urban areas
and Indian reservations within the Truckee River Basin, including
the Newlands Project, Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe. Map text
explains the issues surrounding the use of the Truckee-Carson
rivers, Lake Tahoe water quality improvement efforts, fishery
restoration and the effort to reach compromise solutions to many
of these issues.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, illustrates the
water resources available for Nevada cities, agriculture and the
environment. It features natural and manmade water resources
throughout the state, including the Truckee and Carson rivers,
Lake Tahoe, Pyramid Lake and the course of the Colorado River
that forms the state’s eastern boundary.
The 28-page Layperson’s Guide to Nevada Water provides an
overview of the history of water development and use in Nevada.
It includes sections on Nevada’s water rights laws, the history
of the Truckee and Carson rivers, water supplies for the Las
Vegas area, groundwater, water quality, environmental issues and
today’s water supply challenges.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36-inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
Lake Tahoe is one of the world’s most beautiful yet vulnerable
lakes. Renowned for its remarkable clarity, Tahoe straddles the
Nevada-California border, stretching 22 miles long and 12 miles
wide in a granitic bowl high in the Sierra Nevada.
Tahoe sits 6,225 feet above sea level. Its deepest point is 1,645
feet, making it the second-deepest lake in the nation, after
Oregon’s Crater Lake, and the tenth deepest in the world.
Lake Tahoe is one of the Sierra Nevada’s crown jewels, renowned
for its breathtaking clarity. The high-altitude, clear blue lake
and its surrounding basin, which lie on the California-Nevada
state line, is a spectacular natural resource that provides
environmental, economic, recreational and aesthetic benefits.
