01.02 - Watershed Restoration Program

Lake Tahoe’s numerous high alpine meadows, wetlands, and tributaries provide prime habitat for wildlife and have historically acted as filters for water flowing through the watershed and into Lake Tahoe.  However, many of the Lake Tahoe watersheds and aquatic habitats are degraded. Poorly functioning streams contribute significant quantities of sediment and nutrients to the lake. Past resource management practices, including fire suppression, grazing, development, and logging have significantly altered native habitats. In their altered state, ecosystems are less able to support wildlife and are unable to adequately respond to natural or imposed disturbances.

Tremendous progress has been made to restore priority watersheds such as the Upper Truckee River, Blackwood Creek, and Ward Creek yet more work remains to restore watersheds at the landscape-scale. Projects are designed to restore the natural flows of streams and rivers, replenish groundwater tables, remove invasive species and restore native vegetation, as well as implement BMPs to reduce sediment and nutrient loading in non-urbanized sections of watersheds. These restoration projects benefit all environmental thresholds and are the most cost-effective methods to reduce pollutant loading to the Lake, according to TMDL data.