League to Save Lake Tahoe backs Upper Truckee River Project at Lake Tahoe Golf Course

The following is a comment in support of Preferred Alternative 2B of the Upper Truckee River Restoration and Golf Course Reconfiguration Project submitted by the League to Save Lake Tahoe to California State Parks:

After careful review of the relevant environmental analysis, the League to Save Lake Tahoe has decided to support the latest iteration of a proposed California State Parks project to restore the Upper Truckee River section flowing through Washoe Meadows, officially known as Preferred Alternative 2B of the Upper Truckee River Restoration and Golf Course Reconfiguration Project.

The proposed project will benefit Lake Tahoe by reducing a significant source of fine sediment pollution, which has been the dominant cause of the loss of clarity in the Lake. The restoration efforts will increase the natural meander of this section of the Upper Truckee River, allowing for natural flooding and leading to healthier meadows and marshes, which are critical for trapping fine sediment and preventing it from entering Lake Tahoe.

Importantly, State Parks has modified their proposed project to ensure protections for a rare “fen”—a unique wetland environment—on the project site. The project will also move parts of Lake Tahoe Golf Course away from the Upper Truckee River to allow natural flooding along the river.

With these benefits, the League feels that the project meets the goals for restoring the Upper Truckee River and reducing the amount of fine sediment making its way from this section of river to Lake Tahoe. More importantly, the League feels it is critical that this restoration project be completed without further delay as part of the larger multi-agency restoration of the lower nine miles of the Upper Truckee River. The Washoe Meadows section is one of the last segments of the river to be restored, following years of degradation and erosion.