SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Jesse Patterson, of Keep Tahoe Blue, said the organization is funding research into the effects of the Caldor Fire on Lake Tahoe.
“It’s going to look very different. Huge areas are burnt down, a burn scar -- there can be runoff now from those areas that use to be protected by the trees. Now, those trees are gone and that runoff can come from the land and affect the lakes," Patterson said.
Dr. Geoffrey Schladow, professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis, said ash is a problem too. When ash bleeds into the lake, it turns into nutrients that cause algae blooms.
“When the ash goes into the water, those nutrients are released, and they will stimulate the growth of algae. But at the same time, the microscopic animals that live in the lake are coming up to the surfaces because there’s less UV radiation and start eating the algae, so there’s a race going on,” Schladow said.
That being said, some people ask whether Lake Tahoe will still be blue after the impacts from the ash.
When it comes to the blue color people love and see when they go to the lake, Schladow said that people are really seeing a reflection of the blue sky, and that once the smoke clears, the water will go back to its normal color.
“The ash is not going to change Tahoe from blue to a grey lake. It may affect the clarity, but it’s not going to turn it into a permanently grey lake. A lot of that ash will settle out sometimes in days, sometimes in weeks to months,” Schladow said.
ABC10 can verify that Lake Tahoe will return to its normal color, but the ash may cause more algae to grow.
QUESTION:
Will Lake Tahoe no longer be blue due to ash from the Caldor Fire?
ANSWER:
No, the ash will not make the water at Tahoe no longer blue but the ash may cause more algae to grow.
SOURCES:
- Geoffrey Schladow, PhD Professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering - Director, Tahoe Environmental Research Center
- Jesse Patterson- Keep Tahoe Blue
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