Lake Tahoe is set to fill up for the first time in five years, according to a report by officials.
The study from the Natural Resources Conservation Service predicts the snowmelt coming down from the Californian mountains this spring will be sufficient to fill the lake, which has not been full since 2019.
"The dam at Lake Tahoe's outlet provides up to six feet of storage totaling 744,500 acre-feet. Once full the stored water in Lake Tahoe typically provides sufficient supply to meet demand for three years even if snowpacks are below normal," the report said.
Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between California and Nevada. It gets its water from the Sierra Nevada every year, when the snow melts in the warmer months.
The amount of water in the lake depends on how much precipitation the state saw in the winter. This past winter was particularly good for snow and rain, meaning there is plenty to go around.
"Snowpacks across the state peaked above normal for the second winter in a row," the report confirmed.
Lake Tahoe is highly important to the surrounding communities. Although it is a natural lake, it is used for water storage by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (TCID). Its water levels fluctuate seasonally, and officials control them through the Lake Tahoe Dam.
Lake Tahoe's water is almost entirely pure, and it is highly important to the Washoe Tribe, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Measurements taken on May 1 reported that it still remains above the median level. In the Lake Tahoe Basin it measures from 102 percent, according the report, while in the Lower Humboldt basin it was 184 percent.
The report brings good news, as Lake Tahoe's refilling would mark another recovery from the state's drought.
Until 2023, California was suffering from intense drought conditions that meant its water supply was suffering. In fact, many of the state's reservoirs were far below usual levels, due to the lack of precipitation and the entire western U.S. was on the brink of a water crisis.
The winter of 2023 however saw record amounts of rainfall. Snowpack also reached record levels this year, and the spring saw some much needed replenishments for the lake. This meant the drought status in the state was completely lifted.
Although this year has not been quite the same, the snowpack is still at very healthy levels, meaning it is the second year in a row that lakes and rivers can expect high water levels.
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
