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.
Last weekend, watercraft inspectors found golden mussels,
a highly invasive aquatic species, on a 65-foot boat
that was headed to Lake Tahoe. Experts say golden
mussels pose an extreme threat to Lake Tahoe. To stop
the mussels from getting into the lake, this spring, Tahoe
implemented much stricter measures that go beyond the norm,
requiring that every single motorized boat not just be
inspected but also be decontaminated before hitting the
water. The boat carrying the golden mussels was put into
quarantine until it’s deemed risk-free, according to the Tahoe
Environmental Planning Agency. The close call was the first
time officials intercepted the golden mussels at one of Tahoe’s
boat inspection stations. … If the mussels were to reach
Lake Tahoe, they would wreak havoc on the ecosystem and degrade
water quality, and there’s no getting them out, experts
say.
… Lake Tahoe is famous for its blueness. The growth and
spread of algae is one reason blue lakes around the world can
appear green in the summer. Algae form the base of many food
webs, and most algae in Lake Tahoe, though sometimes
unattractive, do not pose a health risk to people or animals.
Harmful algal blooms are a different story. HABs can be
mistaken for harmless types of algae that naturally occur in
Tahoe and can be found clinging to rocks, washing up on
beaches, and attached to the bottom of creek and river
channels. HABs, however, pose a risk to public health and
safety as they can produce toxins. The Lahontan Regional
Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) places a focus on
algae and HABs in Tahoe’s waterbodies. They are not alone. The
Tahoe Science Advisory Council (Science Council), and notably
its member the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center,
study the presence, abundance, and distribution of Tahoe’s
algae over time and how those characteristics are shifting with
climate change.
The California Tahoe Conservancy let the public tour its latest
restoration project at the former Motel 6 property in South
Lake Tahoe Wednesday. According to the group, the portion of
the Truckee River underneath the Motel 6 is the missing link
between miles of marshland that feeds into Lake Tahoe,
providing critical wetland habitat among other environmental
benefits. “These wetlands provide a lot of really important
functions. One of those is protecting and improving water
quality by providing natural filtration,” Senior Environmental
Scientist at the California Tahoe Conservancy Stuart Roll said.
In addition to helping keep Tahoe blue, the marshland habitat
is home to several ecosystems and wildlife. “Lots of species
use these wetland, and so restoring them and improving them
really helps biodiversity and ecosystems in Lake Tahoe,” Roll
said.
At least 16 AmeriCorps members in the Tahoe Basin were
terminated essentially overnight after the Department of
Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut funding to the AmeriCorps
program nationwide on Sunday, April 27. Those included the
Sierra Nevada Alliance’s ten in the Tahoe region and 25 total
over the entire Sierra Nevada. The ten in the Tahoe Basin serve
at host sites such as the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research
Center, Trout Unlimited Truckee Chapter, Tahoe Regional
Planning Agency, Sierra House Elementary School, and Sierra
Club Tahoe Area Group. The cuts impacted another two CivicSpark
AmeriCorps fellows with South Tahoe Public Utility District,
and four with the City of South Lake Tahoe (co-hosted with
South Tahoe Refuse and South Tahoe Fire Rescue). … Since
2007, SNA hosted AmeriCorps members have restored over 25,000
acres of land, monitored 8,000 watershed sites, and reached
more than 250,000 individuals through environmental education
and outreach.
Boaters and paddlers are being encouraged to stay up to date
with the strengthened procedures at Lake Tahoe this summer to
protect the lake from the spread of aquatic invasive species.
The Lake Tahoe watercraft inspection stations, boat launches,
and marinas are opening for the 2025 boating season, and now is
the time to be informed of new and mandatory procedures before
heading to the water this year. Changes this year include
mandatory decontaminations and additional processing time for
motorized boats traveling from other areas, as well as more
roving non-motorized inspectors at popular recreation areas.
… Those closures or restrictions are in place on some
waterways close to Lake Tahoe, including Lake Tahoe: Folsom
Lake, Lake Clementine, Camanche Reservoir, Castaic Lake,
Woodward Reservoir, and others.
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.
