Beach space shrinks as Lake Tahoe water levels rise

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - After heavy snow this winter, water levels at Lake Tahoe are rising.

“The lake right now is up about four feet from last year,” said Allen Wooldridge, the Tahoe Region Manager for Nevada State Parks.

“That translates into about 20 to 30 feet at Sand Harbor of less beach space.”

Sand Harbor is one of the more popular beaches at Lake Tahoe and that means space this summer will be even more crowded.

“People are going to be packed in even tighter than they have been in the past couple years on the beach,” Wooldridge said.

But more water is good news for boaters. The boat launch at Sand Harbor was closed two years running due to low water levels.

“We’ve got plenty of water and ramp depth to launch vessels,” he said.

Wooldridge says water levels could continue to rise another two feet as snow melts in the coming weeks.

“It is going to come up a little bit more. We are going to lose some more beach space,” he said.

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