water levels

The SR89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe has not progressed as expected and completion will not happen in 2019 though lots of work is scheduled.

Weather, utilities and construction scheduling have put it well behind the original 2018 planned completion and now construction work will be getting off to a late start in 2019 because of high water levels at the lake and Truckee River after an above average winter of snow and rain. Crews are expecting to start around mid-June.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) is known for their loving care of wildlife from beavers and owls to bears, but an arrival this week is unusual even for the non-profit based in Meyers near South Lake Tahoe.

Thousands of shore and water birds from Virginia, Carson and Swan Lakes in Nevada were recently stricken by Avian Type C Botulism. Most of the ill birds are Avocets and Ibis, and over 100 of them were brought to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care for needed attention.

Lake Tahoe’s shoreline is a place of majestic beauty with sandy beaches and secluded, boulder-strewn coves. It’s where residents and visitors alike go to enjoy Tahoe’s famously cold, clear water, whether they are dipping their toes in for the first time or launching their boat, kayak, or paddleboard for a daily outing.

The historic winter in Lake Tahoe continues to leave its mark with high water levels leaving limited beach space, causing sensitive areas to be prone to environmental degradation.

The area the public can access along the south shore just got smaller as the California Tahoe Conservancy has announced they will limit public access and temporarily close portions of some beaches to protect sensitive habitat and limit erosion.

Locations where portions of the beach will be closed include the Upper Truckee Marsh and other Conservancy-owned beaches near Lakeview Commons as shown in the photo.

"The channel looks good and recovery is holding up," said Theresa Cody, Restoration Hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service. "Water is on the flood plains as its supposed to."

Cody was talking about the $7 million project on part of the Upper Truckee River known as Reach 5. The three-year long restoration project was to improve the river channel stability and aquatic habitat along 1.2 miles of the river adjacent to the Lake Tahoe Airport.

After a series of storms fondly dubbed by South Lake Tahoe locals as "Januburied" and "Snowmaggedon" hit the Lake Tahoe region in January, the water levels in the lake have risen to the highest levels since 2013.

As of January 28, 2017, Lake Tahoe is at an elevation of 6225.08, 2.08 feet above its natural rim of 6,223 feet above sea level. The lake is considered full at the legal limit of 6,229.1 ft, so there is still quite a big of storage left, 482,400 acres of water to be exact.

Millions of visitors and most residents interact with Lake Tahoe from the shoreline, and a plan is currently being created to protect it while also enhancing recreational access to the lake.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is inviting people to attend an upcoming community workshop on Thursday, November 3 to share input and ideas and help guide the creation of a Shoreline Plan. The workshop is open to the public and will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the TRPA offices in Stateline at 128 Market Street.

On April 9, 2016, Lake Tahoe reached its natural rim for the first time in ten months after a wet winter gave much needed water to the lake. Since then the melting snowpack was enough to keep water levels above its natural rim, that is, until today.

The natural rim is 6,223 feet.

There is 20-50 percent chance of rain in the area through Wednesday, but rainfall amounts aren't forecast to be measurable.

Despite near average rainfall in much of Northern California this past winter, 60 percent of the state remains in severe or extreme drought. Groundwater basins and many reservoirs are badly depleted as the state’s drought grinds into a fifth year. Those living in, and visiting, South Lake Tahoe, have enjoyed higher water levels to view, boat and recreate in.

All six vehicles pulled out of Kiowa Ponds by volunteers from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office HASTY Team on Make A Difference Day, October 24 were reported as stolen according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Five of the cars were reported stolen between 1996 and 1998, the sixth in 2007. Three of the vehicles were reported stolen in Reno, two from Sparks and one from Sacramento, CA. All agencies involved have been notified of the recovery.

Successful conservation actions from a collaborative Lake Tahoe partnership spanning the past 15 years have helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decide today that Tahoe yellow cress (Rorippa subumbellata), a flowering perennial plant in the mustard family found only along the lake’s sandy shoreline, does not warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Thousands flock to the Sierra Nevada every fall to watch the color changes of the aspen trees along with the annual upstream migration of the Kokanee Salmon in Taylor Creek to lay their eggs and complete their life cycle.

The bright yellows, oranges and reds of the aspen are emblematic of fall in Lake Tahoe, but this year that will not happen in the typical fashion that people have become accustomed to.

In a stroll through many of the aspen groves on the South Shore it looks like fall has already happened with dried leaves leaving the branches and making their way to the forest floor.

California cannabis growers may be making millions, but their thirsty plants are sucking up a priceless resource: water. Now scientists say that if no action is taken in the drought-wracked state, the consequences for fisheries and wildlife will be dire.

"If this activity continues on the trajectory it's on, we're looking at potentially streams going dry, streams that harbor endangered fish species like salmon, steelhead," said Scott Bauer of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Lake Tahoe Cruises announced on Friday that they will be stopping operations on the Tahoe Queen and Tahoe Paradise until further notice.

Cruise officials said that the current drought conditions in the Lake Tahoe region have caused historically low water levels which make it impossible to continue their sight seeing tours.

Last week, Lake Tahoe Cruises, the operator of the boat tours, had announced the Tahoe Queen would stop operating but the Tahoe Paradise boat would take over the cruise schedules.

They apologized for the inconvenience the cancellations may cause.

By the end of the century Lake Tahoe summers may be two months longer than they were in the 1960s and the maximum temperatures may have risen by 8 degrees F. Those were part of the predictions released in the State of the Lake 2014 report.

Data collected over the last 50 years, combined with the monitoring of Lake Tahoe during the 12 months of 2013, was presented at Thursday's unveiling of the report at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences (TERC) in Incline Village by Director Geoff Schladow.

Low water levels in Folsom Lake are allowing El Dorado County and Placer County Sheriffs to search for plane that crashed into Folsom Lake on January 1, 1965.

Frank Wilcox, a Shingle Springs man, is hoping the dramatic drop in the level of Folsom Lake will finally reveal the wreckage of the Piper Comanche that went to the bottom following a mid-air collision, killing Wilcox's older brother and three other people. Only one body was recovered. The second plane was able to return to the airport.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Aug. 1-6.

Here is this week's fishing report covering rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 6.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 17-24.

Here is this week's fall fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Oct. 4-10.

Here is this week's fishing report for Northern California, Nevada, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra-area rivers, lakes and streams. Fall colors are around the corner for the Sierra and Lake Tahoe region. Enjoy the fishing while the weather is still good and don't forget to pack your sunscreen and fishing license. This report is for the week of Sept. 5-11.

ADOBE POND, CALIF:
Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Fly Fishing Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:

The Nevada Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security and the National Weather Service are partnering together to educate the citizens of Nevada on National Flood Safety Awareness Week, March 12-16.

According to the National Weather Service, Floods and Flash Floods are the #1 weather-related killer in the United States and can occur any time of the year. This is why the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service Offices in Reno, Las Vegas, and Elko want to help spread the word about being flood safe.

Here is the fishing report through Jan. 31. The report covers rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, the Sierra and Southern Oregon.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Following a near-record-breaking winter, water supplies in Northern California and Nevada have struck a balance between not enough and too much, according to regional ...