New water lines and fire hydrants in place to fight Lake Tahoe wildfires

Over the past eight building seasons, a bi-state collaborative effort of the South Tahoe Public Utility District, U.S. Forest Service and the other area water agencies has enhanced the Lake Tahoe Basin's water infrastructure to better fight wildfires.

The Lake Tahoe Community Fire Protection Partnership has installed more than 16 miles of improved water line with 180 new fire hydrants every 500 lineal feet, 10 new water storage tanks with a 4.7-million-gallon storage capacity, five new booster pump stations to increase water flow, and strategically placed emergency generators to provide continued water supply during catastrophic events.

This summer, the South Tahoe Public Utility District will complete their installation of 65 new hydrants and begin a new project of installing 40 more, most of which will be in Meyers near the elementary school and in the Pioneer Trail area.

The new hydrants will be installed at locations where there are still 4-inch water lines. According to Richard Solbrig, STPUD's General Manager, the hydrants will be installed at spots where 6-inch lines are nearby.

"If we strategically place them close to the 6-inch lines we can get 750 gallons per minute for fire flow," said Solbrig. "That is close to the desired 1,000 gallons per minute." He said the flow produced by the new hydrants will satisfy fire department needs until new, bigger lines can replace the old ones.

According to a study by the Carnegie Institution for Science, up to 58 million large trees in California have been heavily impacted by the drought and another 888 million trees, or approximately 41,000 square miles of forest, are drought-stressed.

As evidenced by the 2007 Angora, Martis and Gondola Fires, the Lake Tahoe Basin is no stranger to the threat of wildfire to the health of our environment and our communities. Recognizing this threat, the Partnership embarked on an aggressive program to accelerate installation of the critical water infrastructure to enhance our regional response to the threat of catastrophic wildfires.

This regional collaboration is fortunate to have the support of the region’s congressional delegation, which recognizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire that includes enhancing the fire response capability of municipal water systems.

S.1724, Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, co-sponsored by Senators Heller, Feinstein, Reid and Boxer, includes important provisions to reduce the threat of wildfire, improve water clarity, fight invasive species and support vital water infrastructure improvements, a comprehensive strategy to restore and protect the environment in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This measured approach calls for active management of our federal lands together with actions to protect the environment and our communities from wildfire.

The Partnership joins Tahoe’s environmental and business leaders in ardently calling for the passage of S.1724, Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.

In the House, Representative Tom McClintock has introduced a scaled down version (H.R. 3382) of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which focuses on fire risk and invasive species management.

Solbrig said the provisions are of vital importance to the economic and environmental health of the region and the Partnership looks forward to both Senate and House approaches moving forward to conference.

As we enter the 2016 wildfire season, the Partnership will embark on an aggressive effort to install critical water infrastructure for fire response and work with firefighting community to protect the Tahoe Basin, according to Solbrig.