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Projects

At Clean Up the Lake 501(c)3, we lead both terrestrial and underwater cleanup efforts, collecting critical data to support scientific research and policy development while also running surveillance for aquatic invasive species and reporting observations on algal-blooms for future monitoring. Comprehensive assessments of completed projects are available below, offering detailed insights into our ongoing environmental impact and often providing recommendations for next steps for submerged litter management and aquatic invasive species management.

72 Mile Clean Up

Lake Tahoe, CA-NV

72-mile-cleanup--heavy-lift-colin-luba

Project Goals

The 72 mile cleanup was a dream that became reality made possible by donors like Tahoe Blue Vodka, Tahoe Fund, Nevada Division of State Lands, Vail’s Epic Promise and a number of other grant giving organizations. This funding support was bolstered by the 136 volunteer community members who dedicated their time to this cause and ultimately helped us remove nearly 25,000 lbs of submerged litter from Lake Tahoe.

Project Outcome

  • 25,281lbs of litter collected
  • 72 miles cleaned beneath the surface of Lake Tahoe
  • 24,797 pieces of litter removed
  • 81 total dive days
  • 189 total individual dives
  • 626 cylinders of air used
  • 136 volunteers involved
  • 6,715 volunteer hours
View Full Project Report

Supporting Partners

Tahoe Blue Vodka
Tahoe Fund
Nevada Division of State Lands
Tahoe Mountain Resorts Foundation
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation
American Century Championship
Martis Fund
Vail Resorts Epic Promise
North Tahoe Community Alliance (TOT TBID logo)

More Lake Tahoe Projects

72-Mile-(squared-symbol)

72 Mile Cleanup²

Project Year: 2025

Clean Up The Lake’s 72 Mile² deep clean project of Lake Tahoe will tackle 35-55 ft depths of Lake Tahoe using advanced technology such as Diver Propulsion Vehicles and Nitrox Gas.

Lake-Tahoe-Deep-Clean-Pilot

Lake Tahoe Deep Clean Pilot

Project Year: 2025

Our organization and its volunteer dive team will be going deeper in Lake Tahoe to clean up litter found during deep dive surveys performed in 2022-2023.

Media Productions

Make A Difference Creative

Project Years:Annual

Make A Difference Creative creates impactful environmental content that helps protect our environment both above and below the surface. Stay tuned for a feature documentary & a new web series releasing in 2025.

Couch in the lake

Heavy Lift Litter Removal

Project Year: 2025

Clean Up The Lake plans to remove 722 heavy lift litter items from Lake Tahoe's lakebed, with planning set for 2025 and cleanup launching in 2026.

Clean Up The Lake, Lake Mary, Mammoth Lakes, July 2024

LEAP Program

Project Years:Annual

LEAP educates over 2,074 students on submerged litter and invasive species, with tailored lesson plans for all ages, thanks to partners like Pay It Forward Project.

TRPA_Boating_Safety_Campaign

Tahoe Boating Safety Campaign

Project Year: 2024

Clean Up The Lake's Make A Difference Media program is creating a comedy-series of boating safety videos for Lake Tahoe in partnership with TRPA, releasing in spring 2025.

Tahoe-Keeper-Training-&-Video

Tahoe Keepers Training & Video

Project Year: 2024

Clean Up The Lake partnered with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to enhance Tahoe Keepers training with new in-person and digital content for concessionaire outreach.

Lake-Tahoe-Litter-Summit

Lake Tahoe Litter Summit

Project Years:Annual

In 2024, Clean Up The Lake hosted the 2nd Annual Lake Tahoe Litter Summit, uniting 50+ leaders to tackle litter issues, form new committees, and drive solutions.

LTMB

Lake Tahoe Buoyfield & Marina Cleanup

Project Year: 2024

The Lake Tahoe Buoyfield & Marina Cleanup targets concentrated litter areas missed during the 72-mile SCUBA cleanup, addressing buoyfields and marinas in need.

clean-up-the-lake-on-lake-tahoe

Lake Tahoe Monitoring

Project Year: 2023

We explored submerged litter at depths of 45-70 feet in Lake Tahoe, cleaned 10 hot spots along the California shoreline, and analyzed litter trends over time with our environmental scientist team.

divers-cleaning-up-a-portion-of-lake-tahoe

Lake Tahoe Monitoring – NV

Project Year: 2022

We explored submerged litter at deeper depths in Lake Tahoe (45-75 feet) and removed litter from 20 identified hot spots from the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe that were marked during the 72-mile cleanup.

scuba dive picking up trash in tahoe

Lake Tahoe Pilot Research

Project Year: 2020

In 2020, the Nevada Division of State Lands funded our cleanups at six locations along Lake Tahoe's NV shoreline and helped refine our litter collection, data procedures, and safety protocols.