South Lake Tahoe property to be purchased as part of Bijou Creek Restoration Project

The City of South Lake Tahoe agreed Tuesday to accept funds from the California Tahoe Conservancy to purchase a home on Woodbine Road as part of the three-phased, 850-acre Bijou Park Creek Watershed Restoration Project.

On September 21, 2017, the California Tahoe Conservancy Board awarded $572,250 of Proposition 1 grant funds for the purchase of the residential property located at 3747 Woodbine Road and other costs related to demolition and restoration. Christina Borsos, the owner of the home is willing to sell her oft-flooded property.

The acquisition of the site, demolition of the existing structure, and restoration of the site will increase publicly owned open space of key Stream Environmental Zone (SEZ) lands available for future restoration in conjunction with Phase 2 and 3 of the Bijou Park Creek Watershed Restoration Project.

The major cornerstone of the Bijou Park Creek project, the old Super-8 motel at Herbert Avenue and Lake Tahoe Boulevard, was purchased with grant funds and money raised by selling the City's corner lot at Ski Run Blvd. and Lake Tahoe Blvd. The improvements planned at the old motel site include daylighting the portion of Bijou Park Creek which runs from the ski resort to the lake. The creek was moved into pipes years ago, thus allowing sediment to get into the lake. Daylighting the creek will allow natural stream zone improvements to be made.

Once the all phases of the project are completed it is estimated that 40,000 pounds of fine sediment transported to Lake Tahoe annually will be eliminated.

Besides the property purchased Tuesday there are several others, especially near Bill Avenue, that are on the radar for purchase in the future. Those homes are flooded almost annually from Heavenly Creek running underneath property.