Bottom barriers for Lake Tahoe to be purchased after Tahoe Fund challenge

The Tahoe Fund and the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) are pleased to announce the successful completion of fundraising efforts to purchase 150+ bottom barriers, and other necessary supplies, for the control of aquatic invasive species at Lake Tahoe.

The “Aquatic Invasive Bottom Barrier Challenge” was a Signature Project of the Tahoe Fund. Thanks to the support of Tahoe Fund donors, including major grant funding from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s Queen of Hearts and Tahoe Blue Vodka, the funding challenge was met. TWSA matched every dollar that Tahoe Fund raised on this specific project. The efforts yielded a grant of $52,000 total to the Tahoe ResourceConservation District for the supplies needed for control projects at Lake Tahoe.

Aquatic invasive plants are affecting water quality around the shoreline of Lake Tahoe. Through a well-coordinated program, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District has been able to remove aquatic invasive weeds with the use of bottom barriers and diver-assisted hand pulling.

The inventory of bottom barriers was 1.6 acres short of the maximum 5 acres of coverage permitted for Tahoe. In 2017, the TWSA initiated a matching challenge with the Tahoe Fund to purchase the remaining 150+ barriers that would bring the inventory to the full 5 acres. With the full inventory of mats, more aquatic invasive weeds can be removed from the lake and water quality will be improved.