STATELINE, Nev. — They found no trace of a mythical sea monster, no sign of mobsters in concrete shoes or long-lost treasure chests.
But divers who spent a year cleaning up Lake Tahoe’s entire 72-mile shoreline have walked away with what they hope will turn out to be much more valuable: tons and tons of trash.
In addition to removing 25,000 pounds of underwater debris since last May, divers and volunteers have been meticulously classifying and recording the types and GPS locations of the debris.
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The dozens of dives that concluded this week were part of a first-of-its-kind effort to learn more about the source and potential harm caused by plastics and other contaminants in the famed alpine lake on the California-Nevada line.
It also took organizers on a journey through the history, folklore, and development of the lake atop the Sierra Nevada that contains enough water to cover all of California 14 inches deep.
Diamond rings, plastic owls and shipwreck planks
The Washoe Tribe fished the turquoise blue Tahoe for centuries before westward expansion in the mid-19th century brought railroads, lumber barons, and eventually a Gatsby-like decline in what became a playground for the rich and famous.
Tahoe’s first casino was built in 1902 by Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, who owned much of East Los Angeles and built the prominent Santa Anita Racetrack in 1907. Huge lakefront estates followed for decades, including a used for the filming of “The Godfather II”.
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Cleanup organizers say one of the things locals ask most is whether they’ve found gangster remains near the North Shore. That’s where Frank Sinatra lost his gambling license for allegedly fraternizing with organized crime bosses at his Cal-Neva hotel-casino in the 1960s.
The recovered debris mainly consisted of things like bottles, tires, fishing gear, and sunglasses.
But Colin West, founder of the nonprofit environmental group that launched the project, Clean Up the Lake, said there have been some surprises.
Divers believe they saw shipwreck planks near Dead Man’s Point, where tribal tales tell of a Loch Ness monster-like creature, later nicknamed “Tahoe Tessie,” living beneath Cave Rock.
They’ve also found some “No Littering” signs, engine blocks, utility poles, a diamond ring and “those funny fake plastic owls that sit on boats to scare away birds,” West said.
While most contributors and volunteers were primarily motivated to help beautify the lake, it’s what happens once the trash piles up on land that excites scientists.
Microplastics can cause further lake degradation
Coastal cleanups have been taking place across the country for years, but that trash goes into recycling bins and garbage bags for disposal.
Each piece of Tahoe’s 189 separate dives to depths of 25 feet was recorded by GPS and meticulously divided into categories including plastic, metal and fabric.
Plastics are key because international research is increasingly showing that some types can break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics.
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Scientists are still studying the extent and human damage of the small fragments. But the National Academy of Sciences said in December that the US, the world’s top producer of plastic waste, should cut back on plastic production because so much ends up in oceans and waterways.
Zoe Harrold, a biochemist, led scientists at the Desert Research Institute in Reno who first documented microplastics in Tahoe in 2019. She was the lead author of Clean Up the Lake’s 2021 report on a 6-mile pilot project.
“If left in place, the continued degradation of submerged debris, particularly plastic and rubber, will continue to slowly release microplastics and leachate into the blue waters of Lake Tahoe,” Harrold wrote.
The cleanup comes half a century after scientists began measuring Tahoe’s waning clarity as the basin began to experience explosive growth.
Population skyrockets after the 1960 Winter Olympics
Most credit, or blame, the completion of the interstate system for the 1960 Winter Olympics near Tahoe City. The first televised, presented to the world the lake surrounded by snowy peaks.
Between 1960 and 1980, Tahoe’s population grew from 10,000 to 50,000, 90,000 in the summer, the US Geological Survey said. Peak days now approach 300,000.
“Most of what we’re putting out is basically the result of the human impact of recreating, living and building a community here in the Lake Tahoe region,” West said.
His group plans dives this year at other Sierra lakes, including June Lake east of Yosemite National Park, and will expand future searches for Tahoe to deeper depths.
The nonprofit Tahoe Fund, which helped raise $100,000 for the cleanup effort, is commissioning artists to create a sculpture made from Tahoe trash at an event center being built in Stateline on the South Shore. from the lake.
“Our hope is that it inspires greater environmental stewardship and reminds those who love Lake Tahoe that it’s up to all of us to take care of it,” said Amy Berry, executive director of the Tahoe Fund.