No sign of a monster like Nessie, but divers still find surprises in Lake Tahoe
SCUBA divers who spent a year cleaning up Lake Tahoe’s 72-mile shoreline found no trace of a mythical sea creature, mobsters in cement shoes or long-lost treasure chests – but came away with something they hope will prove much more valuable.
In addition to removing more than 11 tons of underwater litter since last May, divers and volunteers have been sorting and logging the types and GPS locations of the waste – in an effort to learn more about the source and potential harm caused by plastics and other pollutants in the alpine lake on the California-nevada border.
The scheme has also taken organisers on a trip through the history, folklore and development of the lake, atop the Sierra Nevada, which holds enough water to cover all of California.
The Washoe tribe fished the turquoise-blue Tahoe for centuries before westward expansion in the mid-1800s brought railroads, timber barons and eventually Gatsby-like decadence to what became a playground for the rich and famous.
Massive lake-front estates followed in the 1900s for decades, including one used for the filming of The Godfather II movie.
Clean-up organisers say one of the things locals ask most is whether they have found any gangsters’ remains near the north shore – where crooner Frank Sinatra lost his gaming licence for allegedly fraternising
with organised crime bosses at his hotel-casino in the 1960s.
The recovered debris has mainly consisted of items such as bottles, tyres, fishing gear and sunglasses, but Colin West, founder of the non-profit environmental group that launched the project, Clean Up The Lake, said there have been some surprises.
Divers think they spotted shipwreck planks near Dead Man’s Point, where tribal tales tell of a Loch Ness Monster-like creature – later dubbed “Tahoe Tessie’’– living beneath Cave Rock.
They have also turned up a few “No Littering” signs, engine blocks, lamp posts, a diamond ring and “those funny, fake plastic owls that sit on boats to scare off birds,” Mr West said.
“It’s shocking to see how much trash has accumulated under what appears to be such a pristine lake,” said Matt Levitt, founder and chief executive of Tahoe Blue Vodka, which has
contributed £82,000 to the clean-up.
His businesses is among many, including hotels, casinos and ski resorts, dependent on the 15 million-plus people who visit annually to soak up the view Mark Twain described in 1872 as the “fairest picture the whole earth affords”.
Each piece from 189 separate Tahoe dives to depths of 25ft was charted by GPS and divided into categories including plastic, metal and cloth.
Plastics are key because international research increasingly shows some types can break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics. Scientists are still studying the extent and human harm from the tiny bits.
Mr West’s group plans dives this year at other Sierra lakes, including June Lake east of Yosemite National Park, and will expand future Tahoe searches to deeper depths.