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.
During the 72 mile SCUBA cleanup of Lake Tahoe, our teams hit the most concentrated litter deposits within buoyfields, yet due to mostly operating in the summer they had to move through the busy buoy field quickly and did not enter marinas.  Surface support teams at that point saw multiple other signs of litter that our teams were not able to clean.  For this reason, we developed the Lake Tahoe Buoyfield and Marina cleanup to tackle this unmet need.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 72-mile cleanup, made possible by partners and donors, along with 136 dedicated volunteers, removed 25,281 lbs of submerged litter from Lake Tahoe.
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.
© 2026 Clean Up The Cayes 501(c)3 - [DBA: Clean Up The Lake] - EIN: 82-5280324
