Spring runoff sending more water into Lake Tahoe

CARNELIAN BAY – Lake Tahoe is like glass – except where the storm pipe is draining.

It’s more like a manmade waterfall just off Highway 28 in Carnelian Bay.

Across the highway a stream is filtering down from the mountainside above. It drains under the road, continuing through a pipe that is just above the water’s edge. There, it cascades into Lake Tahoe.

Storm drains are on both sides of the highway to collect the runoff from the road, deliver it to the pipe and let it flow into the lake.

On April 19, white specs of  “pollution” dot the surface. The water is shallow here, with the submerged rocks visible, albeit murky, from the road.

With a chance of thunderstorms on Friday, it could mean more gunk being carried into Lake Tahoe.

— Kathryn Reed

The roadside drain just above the lake, from left; residue floats on top; water drains directly into Lake Tahoe. Photos/Kathryn Reed