# Can this claim about the volume of water in Lake Tahoe possibly be true? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760 "2013-10-20T22:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/1 "2013-10-20T22:55:20Z")
A California travel guide that has served me well on many trips to the Golden State claims that there is enough water in Lake Tahoe to cover the entire state in a blanket of water 14 inches deep. I’ve looked at a map of California, eyeballing its surface area, and comparing it to the size of Lake Tahoe, and the statement seems utterly insane to me. Can it possibly be true? Thanks all, in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/2 "2013-10-20T22:59:40Z")
Yes, that’s about right - Lake Tahoe’s volume is about 36 cubic miles. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/3 "2013-10-20T23:02:56Z")
This link says 1645 feet deep, 2nd deepest in US, 39 trillion gallons, enough to cover CA with 14 1/2 inches. [http://www.tahoefacts.com/html/tahoe\_faqs.html](http://www.tahoefacts.com/html/tahoe_faqs.html) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/4 "2013-10-20T23:10:09Z")
Wiki gives the volume of [Lake Tahoe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tahoe)as 122,160,280 acre·ft The area of California is 104,765,440 acres, so Tahoe can cover it to a depth of a bit over a foot, which fits with the statement. With an average depth of 1,000 ft, Tahoe is extremely deep, which gives it such an enormous volume. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/5 "2013-10-20T23:12:20Z")
Has anyone been to the bottom? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/6 "2013-10-20T23:33:08Z")
[Apparently not! There are plans for an unmanned submarine to probe the depths.](http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Unmanned-submarine-to-explore-depths-of-Lake-Tahoe-4673552.php) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/7 "2013-10-20T23:36:25Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Has anyone been to the bottom? Well, there’s Fredo Corleone. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/8 "2013-10-20T23:45:00Z")
Just once, back in the 60’s… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/9 "2013-10-21T00:44:09Z")
Why yes, it’s very, very nice. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/10 "2013-10-21T00:56:30Z")
> [@stuyguy](#): > > A California travel guide that has served me well on many trips to the Golden State claims that there is enough water in Lake Tahoe to cover the entire state in a blanket of water 14 inches deep. > > I’ve looked at a map of California, eyeballing its surface area, and comparing it to the size of Lake Tahoe, and the statement seems utterly insane to me. Can it possibly be true? Perhaps when it’s filled, it can. However, I have also seen the lake under the effects of a serious drought. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/11 "2013-10-21T02:46:59Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Perhaps when it’s filled, it can. However, I have also seen the lake under the effects of a serious drought. How low has the water line ever gotten? ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/12 "2013-10-21T02:52:35Z")
[1992](http://tmwa.com/lake_level) But I don’t know what that means in practical terms. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/13 "2013-10-21T03:10:45Z")
My Tahoe trivia fact, that I never fail to bore my fellow skiers with, is that when you are on the Nevada side of Tahoe, with the lake on your left and Carson Valley way down below you on your right, the bottom of the lake is actually lower than the Carson Valley floor. Given that fact you can imagine how the fact in the OP could be true. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/14 "2013-10-21T13:26:40Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > [1992](http://tmwa.com/lake_level) But I don’t know what that means in practical terms. If we go with those figures, the lake was about three feet lower than the “natural rim” in November 1992. Doing the math, this means that the volume of the low-water Lake Tahoe, spread out over California, would be about one millimeter shallower than the “natural volume” of Lake Tahoe spread out the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/15 "2013-10-21T14:00:45Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > If we go with those figures, the lake was about three feet lower than the “natural rim” in November 1992. Doing the math, this means that the volume of the low-water Lake Tahoe, spread out over California, would be about one millimeter shallower than the “natural volume” of Lake Tahoe spread out the same way. Yes, a decrease of 3 feet is a mere 0.3% of the average depth of 1000 feet. It won’t make a significant difference. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/16 "2013-10-21T14:12:26Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > Yes, that’s about right - Lake Tahoe’s volume is about 36 cubic miles. Yes, big, but to get a true sense of scale consider Lake Baikal. To fill it up you would have to empty Lake Tahoe into it 160 times. Tipped into the oceans, the water level would increase by about 6 cm. If my rough maths are correct, the water in Baikal could make you a 1.4m deep pool the size of Russia. I’d recommend a fairly substantial swim-up bar well stocked with vodka. I have a horrible suspicion I’ve mis-placed some decimal points there but in any case. Tahoe is huge…Baikal is immense. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/17 "2013-10-21T17:25:29Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Yes, big, but to get a true sense of scale consider Lake Baikal. To fill it up you would have to empty Lake Tahoe into it 160 times. > > Tahoe is huge…Baikal is immense. Yeah, but Tahoe is far, far prettier. So there! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/18 "2013-10-21T17:25:59Z")
There is a lot more water hidden in the underground river system that links Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, 50 miles away. [Tessie](http://www.weirdus.com/states/california/bizarre_beasts/tessie/index.php) would need to alternate between the lakes to stay warm. Even Jaques Cousteau said “The world isn’t ready for what is down there." ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/19 "2013-10-21T22:12:52Z")
Yeah, one has to remember that pesky 3rd dimension. I remember reading the increase in ocean depth if all the ice on Antarctica melted, and didn’t believe it since it’s such a small portion of the area of the globe. So, I did the math and showed that the ice would have to be over a MILE thick to do that … oops, it is. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/20 "2013-10-21T22:16:31Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Yeah, but Tahoe is far, far prettier. So there! Hmm, really? [Baikal](https://www.google.com/search?q=lake+baikal&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_KZlUu_QIc-r4AOJ84CQBw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=690) [Tahoe](https://www.google.com/search?q=lake+baikal&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_KZlUu_QIc-r4AOJ84CQBw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=690#q=lake+tahoe&rls=com.microsoft:en-US%3AIE-Address&tbm=isch) They both look pretty impressive to me. When the Great Lakes are silted up to big marshes in a few hundred thousand years, Baikal will still be a big, deep lake. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760.md?page=2)