Keep Tahoe Blue

by Elisabeth Korb

One look at Tahoe's pristine waters and it's clear why Lake Tahoe is an international treasure. Its surface mirrors the near perfect cobalt-blue sky above while huge boulders and stretches of white sand are easily visible feet below.

However, development and other man-made impacts have diminished Tahoe's once-crystal clarity, which, in the late 1960s, measured over 100 feet. Declining at a rate of some 9 inches per year, it has since dropped to 68 feet.

But don't let this bleak news cloud all hope. The UC Davis–developed Lake Clarity Model shows that it is possible to keep Tahoe blue. If we reduce affecting pollutants by 25 percent, clarity will improve; if we cut urban pollutant sources by 75 percent, Lake Tahoe has the ability to return to its 100-foot clarity within 10 to 20 years.

Efforts like Forest Service restoration projects and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency development regulations aid the cause, and the nonprofi t League to Save Lake Tahoe has been dedicated to the protection and restoration of Tahoe's water quality for over 50 years now.

So what can you do? Minimizing dust (no leaf blowers!), protecting meadows and creeks, keeping pollutants off the ground and limiting driving miles are all ways to help keep Tahoe blue.