tahoe city, california

Troubled waters: the University of California at Davis has pledged to continue fundraising for its research centre by Lake Tahoe despite the plan for a rival facility on the Nevada shore. Credit: KEITH TURNER/NORTH TAHOE LAKE RESORT ASSOC.

Plans by the University of California to create a $12 million research centre on Lake Tahoe are being complicated by the University of Nevada's decision to build a duplicate centre on the other side of the lake.

The Tahoe Research Group at the University of California at Davis has been studying the ecology of the Tahoe basin, in the mountains between California and Nevada, for 41 years. Limnologists from around the world have used the group's research to address issues of algal growth, lake clarity and pollution.

But earlier this month, the University of Nevada at Reno shocked Davis officials by announcing a plan for a $10 million research centre across the lake. Nevada researchers did little work on Lake Tahoe until a couple of years ago, Reno scientists acknowledged, although they have studied the soil and dying forest around the lake.

Charles Goldman, an internationally respected limnologist who directs the Tahoe Research Group, says he was “surprised, to say the least” by Nevada's plans. He added that Nevada's efforts have caused “anxiety” among his philanthropic donors — who have pledged to contribute about half the money needed to rebuild Davis's labs, currently housed in a former fish hatchery built in 1916.

“It is making it more difficult to complete our fund-raising, and it's bad for the science,” says Goldman. “But regardless of what Nevada does, we will raise the funds and continue our research.”

Davis officials also say that scarce government funds for research on restoring Lake Tahoe will not be used efficiently if duplicate overhead costs are needed for the proposed Nevada facilities.

But Glenn Miller, who directs the University of Nevada's Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering in Reno and is involved in planning the lake facilities, says his university wants to play a more active role in studying Lake Tahoe. “There is some value in diversity,” says Miller, an environmental chemist. “We have different expertise.”

Nevada began planning its centre more than two years ago, when President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore visited the lake and called for more ecological restoration efforts. As Davis and Nevada scientists subsequently discussed ways to improve lake ecology, Nevada officials were discreetly planning their own facility, garnering support from an unnamed Reno foundation which will donate the $10 million.

The University of Nevada plans to build a research facility, conference centre and offices on federal land on the Nevada side of the lake near Round Hill. A smaller research facility is also planned for a second site nearby that is to become public land.

Miller — a Davis graduate — acknowledges some embarrassment at the rivalry between the two universities. When Nevada's plans were revealed this month at a political meeting between representatives of the two states to discuss Lake Tahoe restoration, some University of Nevada officials denigrated the Davis plans, telling the press that they didn't “have to be friendly” with the California team. Miller calls such comments “stupid”, lauding “top-flight research” by Goldman and his team.

Some observers wonder why Nevada did not combine forces with Davis. But it seems probable that the University of Nevada wants to boost its share of government research funds associated with a proposed $900 million restoration of the lake.