Tahoe Information
Lake
Tahoe has a surface elevation of 6,229 ft, is 22 miles long, 12 miles
wide and has a shoreline 71 miles in length. With a surface area of 193
sq. mi. and an average depth of 989 feet, the total capacity of Lake
Tahoe is 122,160,280 acre-ft of water! Surface lake temperatures range
from 68° F in the summer, to 41° F during the winter. The only outlet
is the Truckee River at Tahoe City.
Locals generally divide the Basin into North Shore and South Shore, with West Shore and East Shore completing the geographic distinctions.
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More Tahoe Facts
How was Lake Tahoe formed?
About 2-3 million years ago, the valley that would become the Tahoe
Basin sank between two parallel fractures in the Earth’s crust as the
mountains on either side continued to rise. A shallow lake began to
form in the resulting valley. About 2 million years ago, erupting
volcanoes blocked the outlet, forcing the lake to rise hundreds of feet
above its current elevation. Between one million and 20,000 years ago,
large masses of glacial ice covered the Basin and dammed the outlet
causing the lake level to rise and fall many times.
How high is the Tahoe Basin?
The surface of the Lake is at an elevation of 6,225 ft. The surrounding
mountain peaks vary from 9,000 to nearly 11,000 ft. Only 15 other large
lakes in the world are higher.
How pure is the Lake and why?
The water is 99.994% pure, making it one of the purest large lakes in
the world. The Lake owes it extraordinary purity to the relatively
small watershed, the large amount of precipitation falling directly on
the lake’s surface, the dilution effect of the massive volume of water
it contains and purification of runoff by adjacent wetlands.
Why is the Lake so blue?
The lake water appears blue in color as red light is absorbed and blue
light is scattered back. The Lake surface also reflects the colors of
the sky.
How clear is the water?
Clarity is determined by measuring the water depth at which a one foot
diameter white disk disappears from view. In 2002, clarity averaged 78
ft. but is much less than the maximum 105 ft. of clarity measured in
1968.
How large and deep is the Lake?
The Lake’s surface is 22 mi. long by 12 mi wide and 191 sq. mi.
(122,000 acres) in area. The shoreline length is 72 mi. The average
depth is 1,000 ft. A maximum depth of 1,645 ft. makes Tahoe the 2nd
deepest lake in the USA and 12th deepest in the world.
How much water is in the Lake?
The Lake holds 37 trillion gallons of water, enough to cover the state
of California to a depth of 14 inches. Tahoe is the largest lake above
600 ft. elevation in the USA .
How cold is the Lake?
Below an average depth of 600 ft, water temperature is a constant 39°.
During July and August, surface temperature can reach 68°F. Along the
shoreline, shallow enclosed areas can warm even further. In the coldest
months, the lake surface temperature drops as low as 40°F, but usually
hovers near 41°F.
Does the Lake ever freeze?
The main body of Lake Tahoe does not freeze. Lake Tahoe is too massive
and too deep to freeze in comparison to the ambient climatic conditions.
Does pollution endanger Lake Tahoe?
Tahoe is losing clarity at a rate of nearly one foot per year.
Phosphorus is the most important pollutant threatening Lake Tahoe.
About 29% of the phosphorus pollution flowing into the Lake comes from
erosion on disturbed land such as roadway cuts. Another 44% comes from
surface runoff from impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and
rooftops, and from subsurface water seepage. The remaining 27% comes as
air deposition from wood smoke and fugitive dust within the Basin and
airborne particles blown in from nearby urban and agricultural areas.
All wastewater is treated and exported from the Basin.
More Tahoe Facts Courtesy of David C. Antonucci
Civil and Environmental Engineer
Cultural History
The Washoe Tribe of Native Americans began inhabiting the Tahoe region
as far back as 10,000 years ago. The name Tahoe comes from an English
mispronunciation of the Washoe word Da ow a ga
which means “edge of the lake”. Capt. John Fremont was the first
Euro-American to view the Lake in 1844. Later that year, westward
heading pioneers were the first to visit the Lake. The California Gold
Rush of 1849 brought many gold seekers through Tahoe and it became an
established route. In the latter half of the 19th century, Tahoe
forests were clear-cut to supply the Comstock Lode in Virginia City NV.
After the plundering of forests, entrepreneurs bought the recovering
land cheaply and established exclusive hotels and ornate mansions.
Tourism at this time was limited to the brief summer season. Following
this period of exclusivity, the popularity of the automobile and
improved roads opened Tahoe to the general populace beginning in 1925.
Campgrounds and inexpensive hotels became popular during the post-war
boom of the 1940’s and 50’s. The 1960 Winter Olympics catapulted Tahoe
into international fame and firmly established Tahoe as a world class,
all season resort. The ensuing 40-year building boom threatened the
clarity of the Lake. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency was established
in 1970 to protect the Lake.
Where does the water come from?
Snowmelt from 63 tributaries in the 315 sq. mi. watershed adds 65% of
the water. Another 35% falls as precipitation directly on the Lake.
Typically, 212 billion gallons of water enter the Lake this way each
year.
Where does all the water go?
About one-third of the water is released into the Truckee River through
the dam at Tahoe City for downstream use with any remaining water
flowing to the river terminus at Pyramid Lake. The remaining two-thirds
of the water is lost to evaporation from the lake surface. In a typical
year, Lake Tahoe will rise only 15 in. from runoff and precipitation.
What is the weather like?
Average high temperature is moderate, ranging from the high 20’s in
winter to high 60’s in summer. At least seven months per year, daily
maximum temperatures reach the outdoor comfort zone. The sky is sunny
or partly sunny 84% of the time, leaving only 50 days per year of
cloudy weather. Between Thanksgiving and Easter, 80% of the yearly
precipitation occurs, mostly as snowfall. Typically at lake level, 14
ft. of snow falls over winter and accumulates to a maximum snowpack
depth of 2.8 ft.
How is the Lake being restored?
Unhealthy forests are being thinned by logging and prescribed fires.
Damaged watersheds that contribute soil erosion are undergoing
revegetation and mechanical stabilization. Impacted wetlands are being
restored to natural condition. Containment and treatment structures
remove pollution in surface runoff from roads and parking lots.
Inefficient wood burning stoves are being eliminated while alternative
forms of low polluting transportation are increasing. Programs are now
underway to acquire sensitive lands, reclaim open space, restore
critical habitat and protect threatened species. These and other
measures are contained in a comprehensive $908 million restoration plan.
