Lake Tahoe’s clarity improved dramatically last year, and researchers say a mild winter was a key factor.
According to data released by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Tahoe’s annual clarity value improved to 70.9 feet in 2018.
The number represents a 10.5-foot increase over the 2017 value, which was the lowest clarity figure ever recorded.
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The improvement was somewhat expected after years of drought followed by a heavy winter snows in early 2017, leading to a significant drop in clarity for that year.
Efforts to combat loss of clarity have been ongoing for decades at the lake. The ultimate goal is to restore lake clarity back to its historic level of nearly 100 feet.