The State : Flow Out of Tahoe Halted

The flow of water from shrinking Lake Tahoe into the Truckee River was halted, but Reno water officials foresee no shortage this year in their city, which usually gets most of its water from the river. As a result of Northern California’s drought, surface elevation of the famous resort lake fell to 6,223 feet above sea level. That is also the elevation at the crest of a small dam near Tahoe City that regulates the flow of lake water into the Truckee. The flow has declined to a trickle in the last few days. It was the first time since the 1976-77 drought that discharge of Tahoe water into the river stopped. The last time before that was 1961, but the event also occurred several times during dry weather from 1930-35. Continuance of the drought could spark a California-Nevada controversy if Nevada seeks to pump water from Tahoe for residents of the Reno-Sparks region.