water clarity

As ashes fell delicately from a blazing orange sky earlier this week, Lake Tahoe got a jarring glimpse of just one of the threats of the climate crisis. The frequency and intensity of wildfires in the West are breaking records and destroying communities. Scientists are also measuring wilder weather patterns, more severe droughts, and changing ecosystems as the planet’s temperature rises. More drought means more dead trees, and hotter summers mean a longer and more
severe fire season.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Scientists and researchers have been watching the clarity of Lake Tahoe for decades, rejoicing when one can see almost 100 feet down into the iconic body of water, sadness when clarity drops to record levels.

The clarity of the lake is an important indicator of the changing conditions of Lake Tahoe.

In 2019, Lake Tahoe's clarity decreased nearly eight feet from the previous year's dramatic 10-foot improvement. The average clarity in 2019 was 62.7 feet, the second-lowest on record. In 2017, the recorded clarity was 60 feet. In 1968, it was 102 feet.

Celebrations have taken on many new forms since the start of social distancing. Birthday parties have become processions of cars parading past a celebrant’s home—people honking and waving, tossing candy and small gifts (for later disinfecting, then enjoying). And huge international celebrations like the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this week have moved online, giving room for individuals to celebrate and explore the conservation movement in new ways.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.- The problem of aquatic invasive weeds and nuisance plants in the Tahoe Keys continues to grow, even with the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) investing time and money to control the problem. The aquatic invasive species (AIS) continue to spread and the costs continue to grow.

Last month, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released the Tahoe: State of the Lake Report, which included their finding of an average of 59.7 feet depth of water clarity for 2017, the lowest since they began taking measurements. In advance of the 2018 Lake Tahoe Summit, the following is from Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD, chief executive officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, on the findings:

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

Lake Tahoe is one of the clearest lakes in the world, known around the globe for its spectacular scenery. The lake’s water clarity is one of the many attributes that make the Tahoe Basin such an amazing natural resource and a mecca for outdoor recreation.

The rural mountain lifestyle we all enjoy at Lake Tahoe is not isolated from the major urban areas nearby. On a typical holiday weekend, the Tahoe Basin turns into a recreation thoroughfare as tens of thousands of day and overnight visitors who sustain our local economy drive up from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Reno.

he Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on Wednesday recognized 15 exceptional projects completed in 2016 with Best in Basin awards.

Now in its 27th year, TRPA’s Best in Basin awards program each year showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

Achievements in preserving Lake Tahoe were celebrated August 22 during the 21st Lake Tahoe Summit at Tallac Historic Site, but it was clear there is a lot more to do and the job will never be over.

Started by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, this annual gathering of government, public agencies and private partners highlights what has been done, what is being done, what what still needs to be done in keeping Lake Tahoe clean and clear.

California Senator Diane Feinstein is hosting the 21st annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Tuesday, August 22 at Vahalla in the Tallac Historic Site from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The theme for the day is "2017- A Pivotal Point for the Future of Lake Tahoe.”

The event will examine successful restoration projects and ways to address new challenges facing the lake. A key focus will be combating the effects of climate change in the Lake Tahoe basin.

Igniting on June 24, 2007, the Angora Fire rapidly spread to over 3,100 acres, destroying 254 homes, 75 commercial structures and resulting in more than $141 million in damages. In response to this disaster, an Emergency California-Nevada Tahoe Basin Fire Commission was formed to conduct a comprehensive review of the laws, policies and practices that affect the vulnerability of the Tahoe Basin to wildfires.

Twenty-five years ago, I finished my graduate work in Oregon and moved to Northern Nevada for a planning position at TRPA. Having spent a large part of my youth hiking and camping at Tahoe and in the Sierra, the move felt like coming home.

The Lake Tahoe Basin saw continued environmental improvement over the last four years, but faces major challenges from climate change, according to a draft 2015 Threshold Evaluation Report released by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA).

The report offers a detailed assessment of the health of Lake Tahoe and its treasured natural environment as indicated by 178 threshold standards in nine categories: Air quality, water quality, soil conservation, vegetation, fisheries, wildlife, scenic resources, noise, and recreation.

More money is headed to preserve and restore Lake Tahoe. In Washington Wednesday the U.S. Senate passed its $415 million version of 2015's Lake Tahoe Restoration Act by a vote of 95-3.

The money for Lake Tahoe is part of the $10 billion Water Resources Development Act of 2016.

This is the first time the funding legislation to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act has cleared the full Senate even though its has succeeded at the committee level several times.

"We're here to celebrate because we love Lake Tahoe," Nevada Senator Harry Reid said at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Wednesday. Reid, who started the focus on Lake Tahoe along with President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore with the first Summit in 1997.

"Like a World Series team who can't rest on their laurels," said Reid, "we need to build on progress."

Reid went on with his World Series antidote and introduced the "All Star Lineup" at the 20th Summit, his last in office as he won't be seeking reelection after serving the state in Washington since 1987.

Lake Tahoe was at a crossroads in 1997. The lake’s famous water clarity, once measuring 100 feet, was declining year after year because of stormwater pollution from roads and developed areas and erosion from streams damaged by logging and cattle grazing.

The 2016 construction season in the Tahoe Basin will get under way next week with work resuming on a multi-year State Highway 89 project, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today.

The $70.1 million water-quality improvement project is building new drainage facilities to collect and treat stormwater runoff, adding curbs and gutters, widening the highway and repaving an eight-mile section of Highway 89 between Tahoma and Tahoe City. Work this season will focus on the remaining four miles of the project between Eagle Rock and Granlibakken Road.

South Lake Tahoe residents may remember Courtney Walker when she worked for the Tahoe Resource Conservation District and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, but now she has a new job as the newly hired Douglas County Stormwater Program Manager.

She is bringing with her over 10 years of experience with stormwater and watershed management. With much of her experience in the Tahoe and Carson River Watershed area, Courtney is well versed in local stormwater and watershed coordination.

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday.

The legislation, created alongside senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Harry Reid, D-Nevada and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., provides federal, state, and local partners important tools to reduce wildfire threats, improve water clarity, jumpstart innovative infrastructure projects, and combat invasive species.

A new website puts comprehensive information about the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program at everyone’s fingertips, allowing people to easily learn more about “Lake-Saving Projects” completed in their own neighborhoods and all around Lake Tahoe.

The new Environmental Improvement Program Project Tracker is online at www.conservationclearly.org/tracker.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are one of the most serious challenges facing Lake Tahoe. They continuously threaten to damage its unique environment and famed water clarity and degrade the world-class recreational experiences residents and millions of visitors enjoy each year.

Fortunately, Tahoe is a national leader in fighting AIS, with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and 40 public and private partners working to prevent, detect, and remove harmful infestations.

A new smartphone app encourages Lake Tahoe beach-goers of all ages to help scientists better understand conditions around the lake.

Scientists have determined that Lake Tahoe’s iconic blueness is most strongly related to algae, not clarity. In a report released today from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, researchers found the lower the algal concentration, the bluer the lake.

In the “Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2015” report, research shows clarity is controlled by sediment. Blueness is controlled by algal concentration, which in turn is driven by the level of nutrients available to the algae.