Watershed Delineation

I attempted to delineate the Upper Truckee River Watershed using Google MyMaps, see Figure 1, below. Figure 2 shows the actual watershed delineation. As you can see, I mapped too far out on the west and north-east sides in my attempt to delineate.  The area for my delineation was 65.8 mi² compared to the actual area which is 56.5 mi². The highest point of the Upper Truckee River Watershed is at Red Lake Peak, approximately 10,063 ft above sea level. The lowest point is at lake level, approximately 6,222 ft, for a change in altitude of 3,841 ft. The Upper Truckee River is the main channel supporting the watershed with smaller tributaries such as Grass Lake Creek, Angora Creek, Echo Creek, and Big Meadow Creek draining into the river. South Lake Tahoe is the main city located and supported by the watershed, and has a population or approximately 22,535, as well as a booming tourist industry, with approximately 15 million visitors annually.

Figure 1 Self Delineation

Figure 2 Actual Delineation

Sources: 

California Tahoe Conservancy. 2019. Public Meeting: Upper Truckee Watershed Synthesis. Available at: https://tahoe.ca.gov/public-meeting-upper-truckee-watershed-synthesis/.

Google My Maps. 2022. Available at: https://mymaps.google.com/. 

The Official Lake Tahoe Visitor Bureaus. 2022. Lake Tahoe Tahoe Fun Facts. Available at: https://visitinglaketahoe.com/facts/.

USGS. 2000. WRIR 00-4001 Surface- and Ground Water Characteristics in the Upper Truckee River and Trout Creek Watersheds. Available at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri004001/Text/description.htm.