Nevada County Water Digest

“The Lake of the Sky” is grabbing attention this winter for more than one reason. Emerald Bay froze completely, including the inlet, for the first time in many years.

The California Tahoe Conservancy Board approved a $250,000 grant to Tahoe Resource Conservation District for aquatic invasive plant surveillance and rapid response.

Many people are looking at the snow and water levels and asking that question. The answer depends on where you are in the West and how you define “drought.” A researcher at the Desert Research Institute’s Western Regional Climate Center explains.

The nonprofit environmental group released the results of two projects: one that uses a beach-cleaning robot to remove trash hidden in the sand, and another designed to measure the 2021 Caldor Fire’s impacts on the Tahoe ecosystem.

What does flipping mean? It means Lake Tahoe’s waters fully mixed vertically from top to bottom. While this is an annual event in shallower lakes, with Tahoe’s 1,640-foot depth, it’s a less common occurrence.

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s board of directors held its March meeting and approved water infrastructure upgrades and electric vehicle purchases.

A $4.4 billion project on the Sacramento River to add dams and store more water that will be sent south, the Sites Reservoir is still years away from completion. The final environmental report is expected this year.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe is building a new environment and education center designed around opportunities for the public to learn.

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District Board of Directors focused on infrastructure projects to strengthen the reliability of Truckee’s water system.

Forty deep-water and “hotspot” trash clean-ups are planned in Lake Tahoe and will be expanded to other lakes and reservoirs in the High Sierra.

Some impacts of fires are well known, and now a new study shows how wildfires combined with midwinter drought conditions accelerate snowmelt

California has given the federal government its own counterproposal for apportioning reductions of Colorado River water, saying a plan offered by six other states would disproportionately burden farms and cities in Southern California.

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District recently received $1.2 million in disaster relief to help offset nearly $2 million in storm-related damage from the December 2021 storms.

Last year, the Truckee Donner Public Utility District took on a number of new projects to improve water and electric utility service, customer experience and community safety.

The Department of Water Resources conducted the first manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station Jan. 3, recording 55.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 17.5 inches, which is 177% of average for the location.

“Urban development, increasing tourism, and climate related disturbances are all growing challenges for Lake Tahoe’s water quality,” says US Environmental Protection Agency press officer Joshua Alexander.

A U.S.-French satellite that will map most of the world's water has rocketed into orbit. The predawn launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base capped a successful year for NASA. The satellite will conduct the first global survey of its kind.

A coalition of well owners and activists told the county supes of their concerns regarding the Idaho-Maryland gold mine. RISE Gold Corporation of Canada’s proposal will pump over a million gallons daily; residents fear depletion of groundwater.

Stanford scientists have genetically re-programmed plants to grow roots that change how they gather nutrients or water.

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board authorized $10 million in Watershed Improvement Program grants for conservation projects; $1 million will be used to acquire 1,000 acres on the Cosumnes River in El Dorado County.

In the fall, rice fields in the Sacramento Valley usually shine golden brown as they await harvesting. This year, however, many fields were left covered with bare dirt.

Drought, human-caused climate change, invasive species and a “legacy” of environmental issues are permanently altering California’s landscape and placing some communities and ecosystems at increasing risk.

A dozen independent fish scientists are calling for urgent changes to sport fishing rules to save California’s largest freshwater fish after an unprecedented red tide this summer left hundreds of them dead.

For eight straight days this summer, farmers in far Northern California drained almost all of the water out of a river in defiance of the state’s drought regulations. The move infuriated environmentalists and salmon-dependent Native American tribes downstream.

Linda and Stewart Resnick have donated $50 million to UC Davis for an agricultural research center—the largest donation in the campus’s history—but the couple’s Wonderful Company is the state’s single biggest water user.

As Lake Tahoe watercraft inspections shift to winter operations, inspectors have reported far fewer vessels with aquatic invasive species onboard.

Wildfires, drought, extreme heat and other effects of climate change are compounding in California, according to a report from state scientists.

As drought drives prices higher, families are facing water bills of more than $200 a month. With 1 in 10 households behind on water payments, calls are mounting for the state to step in and help.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a warm, dry winter is in store for much of California as La Niña conditions are expected to persist through at least January.

After nearly a dozen years with the South Yuba River Citizens League, including five years at its helm, Melinda Booth will step down as executive director following the 21st anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in February 2023.

The growth and spread of algae is one reason blue lakes around the world can go green in the summer. Most algae in Lake Tahoe does not pose a health risk to people or animals. Keep Tahoe Blue offers tips on dealing harmful algal blooms.

The Tahoe Fund and EarthViews have created the first “street view” style map of all 72 miles of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. This new, interactive map offers a 360-degree view of the shoreline, as well as underwater views and water quality data.