STATELINE, Nev. (AP) – They found no traces of a mythical sea monster, no traces of mobsters in cement shoes or long-lost treasure chests.
But divers, who spent a year clearing the entire 72-mile (115-kilometer) shoreline of Lake Tahoe, have come up with what they hope will be much more valuable: tons and tons of garbage.
In addition to removing 25,000 pounds (11,339 kilograms) of underwater rubbish from last May, divers and volunteers carefully sorted and recorded the types and GPS locations of the waste.
The dozens of dives that ended this week were part of the first-of-its-kind effort to learn more about the source and potential damage caused by plastics and other pollutants in the legendary alpine lake on the California-Nevada line.
Organizers are also taking a tour of the history, folklore and development of the lake on top of the Sierra Nevada, which contains enough water to cover all of California to a depth of 14 inches (36 centimeters).
The Washo tribe hunted the turquoise-blue Tahoe for centuries before the expansion to the west in the mid-1800s brought railroads, wooden barons, and eventually a Gatsby-like decline in what became a playground for the rich and famous.
Tahoe’s first casino was built in 1902 by Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin, who owns much of eastern Los Angeles and built the famous Santa Anita Horse Track in 1907. Massive lakeside estates followed for decades, including one used to shoot the film. “The Godfather II.”
Organizers of the clean-up say one of the things locals ask most is whether they found gangster remains near the north coast. This is where Frank Sinatra lost his license to play for an alleged fraternity with organized crime bosses at his Cal-Neva casino hotel in the 1960s.
The recovered debris consists mainly of things such as bottles, tires, fishing tackle and sunglasses.
But Colin West, founder of the nonprofit environmental group that launched the project, Clean Up the Lake, said there were some surprises.
Divers believe they spotted shipwrecks near Dead Man’s Point, where tribal tales tell of a creature similar to the Loch Ness monster – later called “Tahoe Tessy” – living under Cave Rock.
They also found several “No Garbage” signs, engine blocks, lampposts, a diamond ring and “those funny, fake plastic owls sitting on boats to scare the birds,” West said.
“It’s shocking to see how much rubbish has accumulated under what looks like such a pristine lake,” said Matt Levitt, founder and CEO of Tahoe Blue Vodka, which contributed $ 100,000 to the cleanup.
His business is one of many – including hotels, casinos and ski resorts – dependent on more than 15 million people a year to enjoy the view described by Mark Twain in Roughing It in 1872 as “the fairest.” a picture that the whole earth offers. ”
“This is our economic engine,” Levitt said.
And while most of the contributors and volunteers were motivated primarily to help beautify the lake, what happens after the waste is piled up on the shore excites scientists.
Coastline cleanup has been going on across the country for years, from Arizona to the Great Lakes, Pennsylvania and Florida. But this garbage goes in recycling bins and garbage bags.
Each piece of 189 individual Tahoe dives to a depth of 25 feet (8 meters) was mapped by GPS and meticulously divided into categories, including plastic, metal and fabric.
Plastics are crucial because international research is increasingly showing that some species can break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics.
Scientists are still studying the extent and human harm of the small pieces. But the National Academy of Sciences said in December that the United States, the world’s largest producer of plastic waste, needs to reduce plastic production because so much is twisting in the oceans and waterways.
Zoe Harold, a biochemist, is leading scientists at the Rhino Desert Research Institute, which first documented microplastics in Tahoe in 2019. She was the lead author of the 2021 Lake Cleanup Report for a 6-mile (10 km) pilot project ).
“If left in place, the continued degradation of submerged waste, especially plastics and rubber, will continue to slowly release microplastics and leaching into the azure waters of Lake Tahoe,” Harold wrote.
The cleanup comes half a century after scientists began measuring Tahoe’s declining clarity as the pool began to experience explosive growth.
The most responsible or blamed is the completion of the interstate system for the 1960 Winter Olympics near Tahoe City. The first to be televised, he introduced the lake to a world surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
From 1960-80, Tahoe’s population grew from 10,000 to 50,000 to 90,000 in the summer, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Peak days are now approaching 300,000.
“Much of what we bring out is largely the result of human impact from recreating, living and building community here in the Lake Tahoe region,” West said.
His group plans to dive into other lakes in the Sierra this year, including Lake June east of Yosemite National Park, and will expand Tahoe’s future exploration to deeper depths.
The non-profit Tahoe Foundation, which also helped raise $ 100,000 for the cleanup effort, commissioned artists to create a sculpture made from Tahoe’s trash at an event center under construction on Stateline on the lake’s south shore.
“We hope that this will inspire greater environmental governance and remind those who love Lake Tahoe that it is up to all of us to take care of it,” said Amy Berry, executive director of the Tahoe Fund.
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