The 14th Annual Water Quality Snapshot Day will be held Saturday, May 17, from 9 am to 12 pm throughout South Lake Tahoe. The event is a citizen-based environmental effort designed to take a “snapshot,” at one moment in time, of the water quality throughout the Lake Tahoe and Truckee River watershed. Water quality monitoring will take place from the tributaries flowing into the Lake.
The goal of the event is to stimulate citizen interest and participation in local water quality issues. The information gathered by volunteers is compiled into long-term data sets on water quality conditions within the watershed. It is also intended to provide baseline data that potentially could be used in ongoing and future environmental projects, and to stimulate a large-scale collaborative educational effort.
Volunteer teams, led by trained group leaders, will then fan out to take samples and measurements at various locations at the same time on the same day. The teams will field-test streams for dissolved oxygen, total dissolve solids, pH and temperature; collect water samples for laboratory analysis of turbditiy, nutrients, sediment and bacteria; and conduct visual habitat assessments of the sites. Volunteers of all ages and are welcome. UC Davis will have a group of 50 students attending, among others.
This event is sponsored by the League to Save Lake Tahoe,Tahoe Water Suppliers Association, Tahoe Resource Conservation District, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, University of California Cooperative Extension, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Incline Village General Improvement District, Tahoe Water Suppliers Association, UC Davis and the Truckee River Watershed Council.
To sign up as a volunteer, you can either register online at www.snapshotday.org or by calling the local site leader, Melissa Thaw, at 530.541.5388.
Event Details:
WHAT: 14th Annual Snapshot Day
WHO: Open to the public, all ages
WHEN: May 17, 9am – 12:30pm
WHERE: Lake Tahoe Community College, meeting in the dining area
More information on Snapshot Day: www.snapshotday.org