Featured Program of the Month- Aquatic Invasive Species Control 

Tahoe RCD: an integral part of the Lake Tahoe AIS Program

Tahoe RCD has supported Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Control in the Lake Tahoe Basin since 2008. Over the past 18 years, working with Lake Tahoe AIS Program partners and the Lake Tahoe AIS Coordinating Committee, Tahoe RCD’s AIS Control Program has earned a reputation for on-the-ground expertise and helped increase the pace and scale of aquatic invasive plant control in Lake Tahoe.

Three women stand on a dock by a lake, dressed in casual outdoor attire, with mountains and a clear sky in the background.
Figure 1. Tahoe RCD staff work closely with Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee partners to coordinate their respective projects within the Lake Tahoe AIS Control Program. 
A group of divers in wetsuits poses on a boat by a lake, surrounded by trees and mountains, enjoying a sunny day.
Figure 2. Tahoe RCD's contracted dive team, Marine Taxonomic Services, an NV5 company, helps train partners to use a standardized protocol in Emerald Bay.

Controlling and eradicating aquatic invasive plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) in the Lake Tahoe Region is a top priority of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. Tahoe RCD AIS Control program implements projects to advance closer to achieving the AIS environmental threshold standard: “No active aquatic invasive plant infestations in Lake Tahoe, adjacent wetlands, and tributaries, not including the Tahoe Keys.”

The image shows underwater vegetation, with plants swaying gently in sunlight beams filtering through the water.
Figure 3. Eurasian watermilfoil can form dense vegetation mats in Lake Tahoe, threatening water clarity and recreational opportunities.
A diver explores the ocean floor, stirring up sediment in shallow water, surrounded by bubbles and marine life.
Figure 4. A diver conducts surveillance monitoring in a previously treated control site. Newly rooted plants can be treated with hand removal when detected early.
An underwater diver with fins is vacuuming the ocean floor, surrounded by algae and sand.
Figure 5. A diver uses diver-assisted suction to remove aquatic invasive plants from Lakeside Beach.
A scuba diver exploring an underwater scene, with a visible metal structure or pole in a marine environment.
Figure 6. Divers install benthic barriers over an aquatic invasive plant infestation along the Nevada shoreline of Lake Tahoe.
The image shows underwater vegetation, with plants swaying gently in sunlight beams filtering through the water.
A diver explores the ocean floor, stirring up sediment in shallow water, surrounded by bubbles and marine life.
An underwater diver with fins is vacuuming the ocean floor, surrounded by algae and sand.
A scuba diver exploring an underwater scene, with a visible metal structure or pole in a marine environment.

Implementing projects around the lake

With 40 known infestation sites around Lake Tahoe, and aquatic invasive plant species that spread easily through fragmentation, implementing projects around the lake is no small feat. Tahoe RCD works with 9 regulatory agencies across California and Nevada and has secured permits to implement projects quickly and efficiently. Tahoe RCD is currently managing 13 projects at 39 different locations. Working closely with our contracted dive team, Marine Taxonomic Services, an NV5 Company, Tahoe RCD ensures successful implementation of control projects using manual, non-chemical methods, including hand removal, diver-assisted suction, and benthic barriers.

Providing the framework for data-informed management

Tahoe RCD has led the way in developing Lake Tahoe AIS Program standards for digital data collection, including development of the Lake Tahoe Invasive Plant Site Assessment Reporting Dashboard and Lake Tahoe Invasive Plant Control Reporting Dashboard. Managers use these new data tools and standardized protocols to better understand what’s happening under the water, develop accurate project budgets, and inform planning efforts. Since 2023, the Aquatic Invasive Species Program has used these tools to track over 500 diver visits to control sites, improving our ability to track progress and assess positive impacts of these efforts. Dive teams have surveyed over 6,000 acres and treated 700 acres for aquatic invasive plants. In total, 61,200 gallons of aquatic invasive plant material were removed, additionally, nearly 134,000 individual aquatic invasive plants were removed.

All this work ultimately contributes to keeping Lake Tahoe’s water clear and safeguarding Lake Tahoe’s ecosystem – a goal that Tahoe RCD’s small, but impactful, AIS Control Program is proud to support.

A person sits in a boat, using a tablet while another diver is in the water, indicating something with a thumbs-up gesture.
Figure 7. A diver relays data to top-side staff while carrying out a Site Assessment of Upper Truckee River Marsh.

 

 

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