Nevada County Water Digest

The unseasonably warm temperatures at Lake Tahoe have prompted officials to issue a flood warning for a rapidly melting snowpack.

From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, SYRCL’s volunteer River Ambassadors educate the community to care for the South Yuba River. The team promotes an ethic of responsible use of the river by speaking with visitors at crossings, beaches, and on trails.

The North Tahoe Public Utility District announced the addition of Kim Harris as the district's new human resources manager.  Harris comes to the NTPUD from the town of Truckee.

The Bureau of Land Management named the Yuba Watershed Institute its Conservation Partner of the Year for 2023. The local nonprofit has been operating on the San Juan Ridge for more than 30 years under a series of cooperative agreements with BLM.

Fort Bragg is embarking on an innovative pilot project to desalt ocean water for the Mendocino Coast community using carbon-free wave action to power an energy-intensive process that in other cases generates climate changing greenhouse gases.

The South Yuba River Citizens League will throw its annual Wild for the Yuba dinner and auction on June 3 at the Wheelhouse Event Center. The event is a fundraiser SYRCL’s many programs to keep the river healthy.

And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

The mantra “Keep Tahoe Blue” has become synonymous with the region. But far fewer people know the history of the movement it represents. Here’s a glimpse of the story behind the sticker.

For the last five months of 2022, Lake Tahoe was the clearest it has been since the 1980s. That is due in part to a resurgence of the lake's native zooplankton.

One of the options would override California’s water rights and split the cuts evenly between California, Nevada and Arizona—which would be a big blow to Imperial Valley farmers.

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is sponsoring its third annual circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe, a kayaking journey that takes place June 19-25.

After conducting its April snow survey, Nevada Irrigation District reports that the water content in the snowpack is 198 percent of the usual average for this time of year.

California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways, the Department of Water Resources and Cal Fire are urging the public to be aware of cold-water dangers this spring as record snowpack is causing flow levels not seen in years.

According to a new study, ponderosa pine forests in the Sierra Nevada that were wiped out by western pine beetles won’t recover to pre-drought densities. But there’s less risk of another huge die-off this century because the bark beetles will have fewer host trees.

“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.