Scuba divers at Lake Tahoe are sorting through their haul after an unprecedented, yearlong effort to remove litter from the alpine lake's entire 72 miles of shoreline atop the Sierra Nevada
In this photo provided by Clean Up The Lake, CUTL diver Colin West shows debris found in the lake from an initial dive in 2020, at Lake Tahoe, Nev. They found no trace of a mythical sea monster, no sign of mobsters in cement shoes or long-lost treasure chests. But scuba divers who spent the past year cleaning up Lake Tahoe's entire 72-mile shoreline have come away with what they hope will prove much more valuable: tons and tons of trash. STATELINE, Nev.
It's also taken organizers on a journey through the history, folklore and development of the lake atop the Sierra Nevada that holds enough water to cover all of California 14 inches deep. The recovered debris mostly has consisted of things like bottles, tires, fishing gear and sunglasses. “It’s shocking to see how much trash has accumulated under what appears to be such a pristine lake,” said Matt Levitt, founder and CEO of Tahoe Blue Vodka, which has contributed $100,000 to the cleanup.
Plastics are key because international research increasingly shows some types can break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics. The cleanup comes a half-century after scientists started measuring Tahoe’s waning clarity as the basin began to experience explosive growth.