How are some small bodies of water so crystal clear they look transparent? Isn’t debris and random pollution constantly falling into them from the surrounding environment? What keeps them so clean-looking?

Question

How are some small bodies of water so crystal clear they look transparent? Isn’t debris and random pollution constantly falling into them from the surrounding environment? What keeps them so clean-looking?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

Lake Tahoe is famously clear.

From the website [KeepTahoeBlue.org](https://KeepTahoeBlue.org):

>One reason Lake Tahoe is so clear is that 40 percent of the precipitation falling onto the Lake’s watershed falls directly upon the Lake. The remaining precipitation drains through marshes and meadows, which are a good filtering system for water.