Keep Tahoe Blue is calling on everyone to “Be Blue” to help protect Lake Tahoe. These “Be Blue” practices help preserve Tahoe’s famed water clarity, but they can be applied anywhere to help improve the quality of any waterway.
All of us — visitors and residents alike — can be part of the solution to Keep Tahoe Blue by taking these ten simple actions.
Support restoration efforts by choosing native or water-wise plants, which need less water and fertilizers than lawns. Fertilizers with phosphorus can cause algae growth in the Lake. For tips on using native plants, download the Lake Tahoe Home Landscaping Guide (10 MB pdf).
Protect the shoreline by picking up cigarette butts, plastic and other litter that can wash into the Lake. Once trash is in the water, it looks ugly and harms wildlife.
Even far from the lakeshore, pet waste makes its way into the water. Waste transports nutrients, causing algae to grow and harming clarity.
The top trash found at Tahoe beach and community cleanups are single use plastics, including bottles, lids, straws, utensils, plates. Plastics do not biodegrade, but rather photodegrade, breaking into smaller pieces from the sun. These plastics are toxic in the water and can look like food to wildlife. Bring your own reusable or shop our store for solutions.
Property owners at Tahoe are mandated to install measures around their homes and businesses to help Keep Tahoe Blue. Best management practices, or “BMPs,” help decrease runoff, erosion and pollution into Lake Tahoe. Typical BMPs include planting native plants, placing mulch on bare dirt, or placing a layer of stones under decks.
Over 96 percent of the CA and NV Tahoe license plate fees go directly to environmental improvement projects sponsored by the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Nevada Department of State Lands, which include trails, parks, water quality, and restoration efforts at Lake Tahoe.