This site is a Web companion to the UC Davis documentary, "Lake Tahoe: Reservoir of History, Body of Hope."

Air Quality

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Lake Tahoe lies downwind of the two biggest urban centers in Northern California: The San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. Pollution from these urban centers is transported into the basin from the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. But even more hazardous is locally produced pollution: engine exhaust, wood smoke, even road dust. The local pollutants are largely smoke and car exhaust such as diesel and the fine dust generated by the roads around the lake bed.

More than half of the total nitrogen that enters the lake annually — 234 metric tons — is deposited through the atmosphere. One quarter of the phosphorus — more than 12 tons — drops from the air. Twenty-two million people visit Lake Tahoe every year. Automobile use exceeds tens of millions of vehicle miles. These vehicles are sending not only the hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides into the air but dust — the sand, salt and cinders applied to the highways during the winter to promote traction on the icy roads.

Smog over Lake Tahoe

Explore the air quality issues of the Tahoe basin.

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Who's working on Tahoe's air quality:

Where to get more information on Tahoe's air quality:

UC Davis Reports on Air Quality
DELTA Group's news page
ARB: Lake Tahoe Air Basin Ozone Data
California Air Resources Board: Air quality, Emissions and Modeling

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