Miles of Stream Habitat in Good Condition
This indicator measures the amount of good stream habitat in streams of the Tahoe Basin. Stream habitat includes features such as gravel, boulders, large wood, pools, riffles, and riparian vegetation that provide habitat for a wide variety of organisms. Streams are critical to the Lake Tahoe Basin’s water cycle by feeding freshwater to lakes and ponds, recharging groundwater, providing habitat for a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial organisms and corridors for fish and wildlife migration. Past practices such as gravel mining, logging, and develpoment along stream corridors negatively impacted fish habitat. Regional programs such as removing impassable culverts and stream habitat restoration projects aim to improve stream habitat. Physical stream habitat (large woody debris, boulders, etc.) and benthic macroinvertebrates (mayflies, stoneflies, etc.) are used to monitor the health of Tahoe's streams.
Status
Average California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) scores of all "trend" sites for each time period.
Applicable Standard
Maintain the 105 miles of good stream habitat as indicated by the Stream Habitat Quality Overlay map, amended May 1997, based upon the re-rated stream scores set forth in Appendix C-1 of the 1996 Evaluation.
Key Points
- There continues to be less stream miles in good condition than the threshold standard, but this is because there are more streams in excellent condition. Overall, more stream miles are in good or excellent condition than the threshold standard.
Delivering and Measuring Success
EIP Indicators
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Linear Feet of Stream Channel Restored or Enhanced
Since 2007, Environmental Improvement Program partners have collectively restored or enhanced over 99,000 linear feet of stream channel.
Example EIP Projects
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Burke Creek Highway 50 Crossing & Realignment Project
This project completed in 2018 restored 1,000 linear feet of stream channel near the south shore of Lake Tahoe.
Monitoring Programs
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Stream Habitat Condition Monitoring
Benthic macroinvertebrates as well as physical and chemical stream characteristics, are sampled at 48 streams annually.