California Historical Landmarks in Placer County
California Historical Landmark 797
Lake Tahoe Outlet Gates
73 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City
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The Truckee River is Lake Tahoe's only outlet.
31 August 2014
(Click Photos to Zoom)
Conflicting control of these gates, first built in 1870, resulted in the two-decade 'Tahoe Water War' between lakeshore owners and downstream Truckee River water users. The dispute was settled in 1910-11 when techniques for determining water content in snow, developed by Dr. James E. Church, Jr., made possible the accurate prediction and control of the seasonal rise in lake and river levels.
Citation from California Office of Historic Preservation
The Lake Tahoe Outlet Gates contribute to listing #72000245 on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sixty-three streams flow into Lake Tahoe, but the Truckee River is the lake's only outlet.
After flowing through the Lake Tahoe Outlet Gates, the Truckee River meanders northeast through the Sierra Nevada to the town of Truckee then turns east and flows into Nevada, through Reno and Sparks and Fernley. After flowing for 121 miles, it empties into the southern end of Pyramid Lake which has no outlet.
The Truckee River is one of only two California rivers which flow from west to east. The other is the Carson River, named for Kit Carson.