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.
Clean Tahoe, a South Tahoe nonprofit focused on litter
abatement, removed more than 400 pounds of trash from the
public roadway and sidewalks near the Stateline, Nev. area on
July 5.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval welcomed water experts and managers
from around the West on Tuesday to scenic Lake Tahoe, where
they reviewed a final report on dealing with drought and
meeting the myriad challenges that come with competing demands
for a dwindling resource.
Recent rains have Lake Tahoe lapping at its natural rim and
while it may stay there for a time, the lake should soon start
dropping again during this year of drought.
For years, the health of Lake Tahoe was best understood by
means of an annual dropping of a white disk — known as a Secchi
disk — in the middle of the lake and measuring the depth at
which it could still be seen.
The Tahoe Keys Marina in South Lake Tahoe would normally be
open by now. But because of the drought, it’s expected that the
marina won’t open until mid-June.
The U.S. Forest Service will soon continue a project to
eradicate, control and contain known infestations of invasive
plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin using chemical treatment.
The University of California, Davis and the Tahoe Regional
Planning Agency recently released their yearly water clarity
readings for Lake Tahoe. The good news: Mid-lake water clarity
improved significantly in 2014, with an average reading of 77.8
feet.
Anglers, many with Trout Unlimited, were catching with rod and
reel in an effort with the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife to relocate the stranded fish to a more suitable
habitat. … Tuesday marked the first time CDFW did a fish
relocation effort at Fanny Bridge.
One of the most popular boat-launching ramps at Lake Tahoe will
not open this year due to diminishing water levels aided by the
continuing Western drought.
Nevada’s money committees on Wednesday voted to join California
in making up the loss of federal funds for the Lake Tahoe
Aquatic Invasive Species boat inspection program.
The drought isn’t all bad. The famous clarity of Lake Tahoe is
greater than it’s been in more than a decade, UC Davis
researchers announced Tuesday, thanks in part to recent dry
years, which meant fewer pollutants running into the iconic
Sierra lake.
Dredging projects at Lake Tahoe’s South Shore have gotten
underway this week, as those in the boating community find ways
to deal with declining water levels.
There’s something disconcerting about life at Lake Tahoe these
days. It’s still winter, but visitors are renting bikes instead
of snowshoes and kayaks instead of skis.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Friday asked Nevada
lawmakers to support Gov. Brian Sandoval’s recommended budget
to fund a total of $750,000 a year to protect Lake Tahoe from
invasive aquatic species.
In good years, the blanket of pillowy white snow covering the
trees, trails and shores of Lake Tahoe practically demand that
residents make the best of the winter conditions and hit the
slopes and cross-country trails. Not so much this year.
The news isn’t much better at Lake Tahoe, where the lake’s
water level dipped below its natural 6,223-foot rim last fall
and was at 6,222.43 feet Tuesday.
The smallest critters who occupy the bottom of the cold, clear
waters of Lake Tahoe are dying off at an alarming rate and
scientists are trying to find the cause to protect the fragile
ecosystem of the lake high in the Sierra Nevada range.
Visitors eager to snap pictures of black bears eating salmon
are creating unsafe conditions at Lake Tahoe’s Taylor Creek
Visitor Center, prompting a warning from the U.S. Forest
Service. The annual Kokanee salmon run at the visitor center
has become a popular tourist spectacle …”
A project to suffocate Asian clams at Lake Tahoe’s treasured
Emerald Bay may be coming to an end this month, when divers
help remove about 5 acres of rubber matting being used to cut
off the species’ oxygen supply.
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.
World-renowned for its crystal clear, azure water, Lake Tahoe
straddles the Nevada-California border, stretching 22 miles long
and 12 miles wide and hemmed in by Sierra Nevada peaks.
At 1,645 feet deep, Tahoe is the second-deepest lake in the
United States and the 10th deepest in the world. The iconic lake
sits 6,225 feet above sea level.
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.
