Winter returns Lake Tahoe level to natural rim

News story first appeared in the Tahoe Daily Tribune Click here for story

Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity took a hit last year in part due to California’s fourth consecutive year of drought. Researchers from the University of California, Davis, announced this week that average mid-lake clarity dropped nearly 5 feet in 2015 when compared to the previous year.

According to UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, lake visibility averaged 73.1 feet, a 4.8-foot drop from 2014.

While at face value it may appear to be headline-grabbing news, research center director Geoffrey Schladow said it’s not a cause for concern.

“If it declined another 4 or 5 feet next year that would be concerning,” he said. “I don’t expect that.”

Schladow described the change as a relatively normal year-to-year fluctuation that may have in part been influenced by record-low snow and warmer inflow from streams and creeks last year. Both leave fine particles closer to the surface. Continue reading UC Davis reports Lake Tahoe clarity down in 2015 →