One of the real gems of California, and the state has plenty of them, is majestic Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, it is not as majestic as it once was according to an article in the LA Times.
The high mountain lake, half of which is in Nevada, has always been legendary for its water clarity. As recent as the 1970s, the clarity of the water was measured at 100 feet (clarity is normally measured by taking a silver disc about the size of a quarter and lowering into the water until it can no longer be seen).
Unfortunately, Tahoe’s 100 feet of clarity has been reduced to only 74 feet in the recent years. The cause of this is widespread; 3 million annual tourists, urban runoff, dust blowing in from the Central Valley, and many other factors.
Scientists at UC Davis, however, are on the job. They are proposing a variety of ways to reduce sediment and other pollutants from entering Tahoe’s semi-virginal waters. Others, however, are more skeptical that this can be done and the decreasing clarity reversed.
Me? I’m a pessimist when it comes to mankind properly cleaning up what we’ve done to nature. If you want to see what’s left of Tahoe’s clarity–still impressive at 74 feet–go now. I’m sure things will only get worse.