SACRAMENTO, Calif — Lake Tahoe is full for the first time in five years.
According to the Nevada Water Outlook Supply Report, released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), this will be the first time Lake Tahoe – the sixth largest lake in the U.S. – will be full since June 2019.
The natural rim at Lake Tahoe sits at 6,223 feet, but the maximum legal limit is 6,229.1 feet. On Sunday, the water level was at 6,228.94 feet, just below the maximum legal limit.
The Lake Tahoe basin ended the winter above average in snowpack for the second year in a row. According to the report, the lake has enough water to meet demand for the next three years even if snowpacks are below normal.
Lake Tahoe is just one of the many reservoirs that will be full heading into the summer months.
The 63 tributaries that feed into Tahoe are pumping snowmelt into the lake, which has helped lower its temperature while filling it to the brim.
Cold water provides many benefits to the lake’s ecosystem, said Jesse Patterson, Chief Strategy Officer at Keep Tahoe Blue.
“Colder water means there's going to be less chance of algal blooms,” Patterson said. “The lake is also healthier when it's full. It's colder, and it turned can turn over more and keep itself clean.”
One of the main contributors to degradation of water quality are summer thunderstorms and the heavy rainfall rates they produce. However, the slow trickle of the melting into snowpack is beneficial to keeping Tahoe’s water clean and sparkling clear.
“The nice thing is we got a lot of snow and when the snow melts, it melts slowly and trickles down slowly," Patterson said. "It's not eroding anything and is supplying that cold, clean water...that Tahoe is used to."
One drawback of this otherwise good news is for those who plan to enjoy the 72 miles of Tahoe’s shoreline. Due to the water level being so high, there will be less beach access so those crowded summer beach days may feel a little more cramped than normal.
Patterson recommends getting to the beach early and having backup plans if the beach is too full or parking is unavailable.
“There won't be as much room on the sand," he said. "So maybe bring some float floaties and, you know, paddleboard and kayak and spend the time on the water instead.”
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