Grant #318

Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Defense Team & Professionalized Eyes on the Lake Program

Lake Tahoe, the headwaters of the Truckee River and a key drinking water source for over 400,000 people, is largely free of aquatic invasive species (AIS) but faces increasing risk from heavy recreation, climate change, and emerging threats such as golden mussels and microplastics. This project aims to protect Lake Tahoe’s exceptional water quality—and downstream watershed health—by expanding proven, community-based AIS prevention, detection, and response programs.

Led by Keep Tahoe Blue (KTB), the initiative scales the Eyes on the Lake (EOL) citizen science program, which trains volunteers and professionals to identify and report AIS using coordinated surveys, trainings, and partnerships with marinas and recreation businesses. To address high-risk non-motorized watercraft pathways, KTB launched the AIS Defense Team in 2025, engaging paddlers to follow Clean, Drain, Dry practices in collaboration with regional agencies.

The effort is further strengthened by expanding CD3 Cleaning Stations, solar-powered, contactless boat-cleaning units placed at high-use access points, to reduce AIS spread and limit transport of microplastics and other contaminants. KTB also hosts annual Forest Stewardship Days, mobilizing volunteers for invasive species removal, riparian planting, and forest fuel reduction to support holistic watershed resilience.

Together, these integrated programs form a comprehensive, scalable AIS prevention network that combines citizen science, professional monitoring, infrastructure investment, and agency collaboration to safeguard Lake Tahoe, protect the Truckee River, and ensure long-term water quality for downstream communities.

TMWA Benefit:

This project strongly advances TMWA’s priorities by protecting the Truckee River at its source through proactive AIS prevention, sediment and microplastic risk reduction, and watershed-wide stewardship. It is particularly valuable because:

  • AIS prevention upstream avoids irreversible and costly downstream impacts
  • The Truckee River directly supplies TMWA customers
  • The project integrates infrastructure, education, professional monitoring, and citizen science
  • Community-based prevention is more cost-effective than remediation at treatment plants or intakes

This initiative provides high-return, upstream source‑water protection that directly benefits TMWA’s mission to deliver safe, reliable drinking water while minimizing long-term treatment costs, operational risk, and infrastructure damage.