In The News – New tech advances a decades long Tahoe algae monitoring program
August 8, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 08/08/2025, Written by Katelyn Welsh
Innovations at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center are taking its decades-long algae monitoring program to new heights with the help of two aerial assets. The advancements could have important implications in the future for public safety and recreation.
Previous monitoring was limited to diver sampling, but there’s only so much of the lake that divers can realistically cover. The program is now keeping tabs on the entire shoreline thanks to a helicopter and drone.
Lake Tahoe’s 72 miles of shoreline and 191 square miles of surface area make any type of monitoring challenging. “It’s a big lake,” Brandon Berry says, staff researcher at the center, “so, that’s where the tech comes into it.”
TERC researcher, Brandon Berry, pilots a drone for algae monitoring along Tahoe’s shoreline.Provided / TERC