# 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:** 2
**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 22, 2013, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/21 "2013-10-22T05:38:11Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > When the Great Lakes are silted up to big marshes… There is only One Great Lake: Tahoe ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/22 "2013-10-22T19:40:01Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > There is only One Great Lake: Tahoe Those of us who spend time on the real Great Lakes sneer at your pool little Tahoe, which doesn’t even appear on Wikipedia’s list of the [world’s 37 largest lakes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world%27s_largest_lakes). ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/23 "2013-10-22T19:48:57Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > Tahoe, which doesn’t even appear on Wikipedia’s list of the [world’s 37 largest lakes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world%27s_largest_lakes). Since we’re talking volume, it [squeaks in at #27](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_by_volume). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/24 "2013-10-22T21:19:54Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > There is only One Great Lake: Tahoe Tahoe: 36 cubic miles of water. Superior: 2,800 cubic miles of water. Clearly, one of them is Superior… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/25 "2013-10-22T21:30:01Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Yeah, but Tahoe is far, far prettier. So there! I haven’t ever been to Baikal, but it is on my bucket list… to drain with a bucket! But seriously, every picture I have ever seen of it is spectacular. Tahoe is pretty, near me and wonderful. Poor Fredo. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/26 "2013-10-22T23:26:53Z")
The interesting bit here is that California has a water shortage. Problem, meet apparent solution. Pipeline from great lakes -\> LA, unlimited water. Although, one issue that might arise long term is I assume the great lakes fill at some rate that is relatively slow compared to what LA and other california cities can consume, especially if there was no cap on their consumption. A shrinking great lake waterline could have consequences. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/27 "2013-10-22T23:44:35Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > The interesting bit here is that California has a water shortage. Problem, meet apparent solution. > > Pipeline from great lakes -\> LA, unlimited water. > > Although, one issue that might arise long term is I assume the great lakes fill at some rate that is relatively slow compared to what LA and other california cities can consume, especially if there was no cap on their consumption. A shrinking great lake waterline could have consequences. Both Tahoe and the Great Lakes already are in danger of having their shorelines lowered due to human water consumption. This isn’t a problem solved, using those sources more would multiply the problems. Within a small water level, these lakes are huge reservoirs, but overuse and poor use methods threaten ecological disasters. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/28 "2013-10-23T01:26:12Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > The interesting bit here is that California has a water shortage. Problem, meet apparent solution. > > Pipeline from great lakes -\> LA, unlimited water. > > Although, one issue that might arise long term is I assume the great lakes fill at some rate that is relatively slow compared to what LA and other california cities can consume, especially if there was no cap on their consumption. A shrinking great lake waterline could have consequences. Every now and then this idea pops up on the SDMB, and the Dopers have great fun pointing out how ridiculous it is for legal, political, and engineering reasons. See [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=514688) and [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=566026), for example. ---
**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 23, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/29 "2013-10-23T09:52:10Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Every now and then this idea pops up on the SDMB, and the Dopers have great fun pointing out how ridiculous it is for legal, political, and engineering reasons. What? No “ski lift up Everest”? Your slipping, man. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/30 "2013-10-23T10:11:50Z")
Well, say you took a huge cup, extracted all the water and poured it over California, how much would just drain back into Lake Tahoe before you finished pouring? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/31 "2013-10-23T12:46:16Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > [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) It would be interesting to see footage of the exploration. I think one of the reasons I like scuba diving [other than it is like flying, and I don’t need crutches or a wheelchair] is getting to see things that you normally don’t see. Underwater sightseeing is great, and places like the [Flower Garden](http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/) are amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/32 "2013-10-23T13:22:48Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Well, say you took a huge cup, extracted all the water and poured it over California, how much would just drain back into Lake Tahoe before you finished pouring? Tahoe’s a whole lot higher than the rest of California, and the watershed that drains into the lake is actually pretty small. The state is about 163,700 square miles, and the Tahoe watershed is 505 square miles (and roughly a third of that is in Nevada). If you’re pouring the entire volume of the lake evenly over the whole state, about 0.2% of the water (~250,000 acre feet, or 81 billion gallons) would end up back in the lake. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/33 "2013-10-23T17:15:03Z")
This thread has blown my mind. I had no idea there was that much water in Lake Tahoe. Thanks - ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/34 "2013-10-23T18:31:38Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > This thread has blown my mind. I had no idea there was that much water in Lake Tahoe. Thanks - ignorance fought. Well, there is also enough fish piss in Tahoe to drown a Canadian Senator. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/35 "2013-10-23T18:48:38Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Well, there is also enough fish piss in Tahoe to drown a Canadian Senator. Or any other legislator you care to name, I should think. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/36 "2013-10-23T19:22:27Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > [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) Prehistoric Piranha! Please, Please, Please, find some Prehistoric Piranha! And in order to visualize the spread of water from lake Tahoe, take a small cup of water and tip it over on your desk and be amazed a how much area it covers. I am every time I spill my coffee. ---
**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 23, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/37 "2013-10-23T19:31:22Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > It would be interesting to see footage of the exploration. There is a video that came out a while ago with lots of underwater footage of Tahoe and some interesting features. Some little fly-by-night video company, but it was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/38 "2013-10-23T19:33:14Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Prehistoric Piranha! Please, Please, Please, find some Prehistoric Piranha! > > And in order to visualize the spread of water from lake Tahoe, take a small cup of water and tip it over on your desk and be amazed a how much area it covers. I am every time I spill my coffee. As soon as my boss is done chewing me out for browsing the dope at work, she’d like a word with you. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/39 "2013-10-24T03:40:50Z")
More trivia, The water in Lake Tahoe is so clear that Buster Keaton filmed some underwater scenes there. It did not matter how cold it was, Keaton decided the scenes were important for his movie _The Navigator_. [http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=443505|92536&name=The-Navigator](http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=443505%7C92536&name=The-Navigator) > [@](#): > > Most of the filming of The Navigator was done in Avalon Bay off the coast of Catalina Island with the cast and crew living on The Buford for the ten week shoot. The famous underwater sequence, where Buster dons a deep-sea diving suit to repair the sinking ship, was first scheduled for shooting in the Riverside municipal pool with Buster doing his own stunt work. This proved to be too problematic (the pool buckled and cracked under the extra water weight) and the waters off Catalina were off limits due to poor visibility during fish spawning season. > > Instead, the sequence was shot in the freezing waters of Lake Tahoe over a four week period. According to Rudi Blesh in Keaton, "So glacial was the water that Buster could stay down only a few minutes at a time and then had to be hauled up and revived with straight bourbon. Then the extreme cold began impeding the photography. Due to the cameraman’s body heat, the glass windows of the diving bell fogged up on the inside. > > So the bell had to be refrigerated inside by ice piled in the corners. But this also refrigerated the cameramen, who then had to be pulled up with Buster for bourbon. Finally, arctic outfits - fur parkas and gloves - had to be requisitioned for the cameramen." And that was done in 1924! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760/40 "2013-10-24T19:48:36Z")
They had bourbon in 1924? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-claim-about-the-volume-of-water-in-lake-tahoe-possibly-be-true/671760.md?page=3)