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El Dorado County Water Articles



Image caption: Sean de Guzman of the California Department of Water Resources conducts the first snow survey of the 2023 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Jan. 3.
Is California’s Drought Over?

A dozen days of wet and wild weather haven’t ended the drought, and won't cure the driest period in the West in the past 1,200 years.

Image caption: Lake Oroville, one of California's largest reservoirs, is only 59% of capacity as of Dec. 12 — despite recent rains and snow. The reservoir is shown here in May 2022.
Is California’s Drought Over? Water Providers Predict Shortages

Despite December storms, water supplies remain low in many areas. Some managers expect to impose severe restrictions on their customers.

Help restore Truckee’s watershed

Truckee River Day 2022, hosted by Foriver-Truckee River Watershed Council, is on Oct. 16. For more than 25 years, Truckee residents have gathered with boots, buckets, shovels and smiles to tackle projects to restore our mountain home, including restoring meadows, …

Image caption: Increasing water recycling is one way to increase the state's water supply, a new report says.
Newsom’s New Drought Strategy: Create More Water

Gov. Newsom's calls to reduce water consumption to combat the ongoing drought have fallen short. His new approach? Add more water to the California's supply. A new state report details how to achieve that.

Broken & abandoned in Lake Tahoe: Removing wrecked boats complicated issue

Sunset on Lake Tahoe is breathtaking. I slip off my flipflops. My feet sink into the sandy beach in Kings Beach and I walk down to the edge of the water. Against the shifting orange sky, puffy clouds and lapping …

Undoing a legacy of destruction: Conservancy works to restore Upper Truckee Marsh

Tucked between Tahoe Keys and Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe, sits the Upper Truckee Marsh and its primary water source, the Upper Truckee River, the largest stream flowing into Lake Tahoe The marsh once included more than 1,600 acres …

20-foot jump in Tahoe’s clarity predicted

Lake Tahoe’s clarity could see a 20-foot increase in clarity in the coming years following a rapid decline of the invasive Mysis shrimp, according Dr. Geoffrey Schladow on July 28. The Mysis shrimp, an invasive species introduced into Lake Tahoe …

Image caption: Tahoe Weekly offers advice on how to help protect the beloved region.
The 5 Greatest Threats to Lake Tahoe

Tahoe is majestic and awe inspiring with its jagged mountain peaks, thick forests, swift-running rivers and hundreds of glacial and alpine lakes.

Lake Tahoe’s clarity drops in 2021

Lake Tahoe's clarity decreased 2 feet in 2021 to 61 feet, down from 63 feet in 2020, according to the annual State of the Lake Report released on July 6. A broader look at clarity measurements shows there is no …

Image caption: Low rainfall from 2019 to 2022 left Shasta Lake—the state’s largest reservoir—filled to just 39 percent of its capacity.
California Drought: State Fell a Year’s Worth of Rain Short

California’s drought shows no signs of easing as the state lost a full year of rainfall between 2019 and 2022, while residents actually increased their water use, ignoring Gov. Newsom’s pleas to cut back.

Tahoe Beach app features beach information

Tahoe Fund and agencies that manage Lake Tahoe’s public beaches have updated tahoepublicbeaches.org to help improve the recreation experience for residents and visitors. Designed as a resource guide to more than 40 beaches that surround Lake Tahoe, the site offers …

TERC launches Lake Conditions tool

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center launched a new online Lake Conditions tool to provide real-time and projected information for water temperatures, wave heights and water currents. This directly links TERC’s measurement stations to a smartphone or computer and provides …

Dock and Dine: Dine by boat on the North Shore

Editor’s Note: Only locations accessible by boat this summer are featured. You’re lounging on the bow of a boat on Lake Tahoe soaking up the sun while waves gently lap against the hull. You’d be asleep except your stomach is …

Boat, swimming safety tips for Lake Tahoe

Boating, paddling and swimming season has begun on Lake Tahoe and at other local waterways, and it’s important to practice safety and understand boating laws in the high-altitude lakes in the region. Cold water shock | The water is cold; …

Image caption: Saving water has become more crucial in California’s drought crisis.
How to Save Water: Simple Steps You Can Take

Saving water is more important than ever in California, due to the region’s worst drought conditions in 1,200 years. Here are some steps you can take to help.

Image caption: With drought getting worse, California needs to increase water use efficiency.
How California Can Increase Water Savings By 30 Percent

California can increase water savings in urban and suburban areas by 30 to 48 percent using nothing but existing technology, a new report from the Pacific Institute says.

Image caption: A new report is sharply critical of California's laws and rules for granting water rights.
Bringing California Water Laws Into the Future

California’s outdated water rights laws have failed to account for the effects of climate change, says a new expert report, which makes some strong recommendations.

Help Save Our Snow: Tahoe’s snowpack threatened by climate change

STORY BY UC DAVIS TERC The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) has partnered with Palisades Tahoe and Protect Our Winters on an educational campaign to increase public awareness and understanding of the negative effects of climate change to …

Tahoe crushes December record for snow

A new December all-time record for snowfall at the Central Sierra Snow Lab on Donner Summit measured 202.1” inches, which smashed the previous record of 179 inches of snow in December 1970. Light, intermittent snow showers will continue on Dec. …

Image caption: There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained

Community service districts can do most anything a city government can do. Here’s how they work and how to start one.

Featured

Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained
There are many causes contributing to this crisis. And as you may already know, this situation really is nuts.
RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think
Recent torrential rains have helped, but California's drought is a long way from over.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.