Truckee River set for restoration; Now in public comment period

Several areas of the Truckee River near Tahoe City are set for restoration because of erosion and degraded water quality caused by river users.

Years of people accessing the river and paved trail from Highway 89 pullouts has created the need for about 900 feet of stream bank and wet meadow restoration. This project will include reshaping the river bank through placement of woody material and boulders.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is now accepting comments on the proposal. LTBMU, the Truckee River Watershed Council (TRWC) and Placer County are working together on the project.

According to the proposal, the project would redirect access to the paved trail and the river. Restoration work would provide a more diverse habitat for waterfowl, fish and amphibians as well as vegetation such as mountain alder, willow and cottonwood.

The project area is on National Forest System lands on three sites along the Truckee River from approximately 1.3 miles below the Lake Tahoe Dam to just upstream of Alpine Meadows Road. The project updates and compliments restoration work previously completed by the LTBMU that is in need of updating and repair.
Implementation could begin as early as 2015.

Comments are most helpful if received by December 23, 2014. Click here for more information on the proposal and how to comment.