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Clarity Of Lake Tahoe Declined In 2010

LAKE TAHOE (CBS/AP) - Scientists say Lake Tahoe's clarity declined by more than 3 feet in 2010.

A report released Friday by researchers at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center said Tahoe's waters were clear to an average depth of 64.4 feet, the second lowest clarity depth since record keeping began in 1965.

But scientists note it's not unusual for big swings in clarity measurements, and the overall rate of decline continues to slow.

Over the past 43 years, they say more than half of those years saw measurements swings, either positive or negative, larger than this year's change of 3.7 feet.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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