Volunteers have completed marking all the storm drains in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood and marina with metal “No Dumping — Keep Tahoe Blue” signs. Over 40 volunteers with the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s Stewards of Stormwater program marked 180 drains over several days in August and September, making it the first neighborhood at Tahoe to mark all its drains.
“Since the Tahoe Keys waterways are so closely connected with the Lake, this is a significant accomplishment that will help curb pollution and Keep Tahoe Blue,” said Marilee Movius, community engagement manager. “We commend the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association for taking a leadership role in helping to organize and fund these events.”
The Tahoe Keys is a development on 740 acres of former wetland. Most homes are built along 11 miles of canals that connect directly to the lake.
The League’s Stewards of Stormwater program, nicknamed SOS, aims to raise awareness of the connection between neighborhood storm drains and lake pollution. Over 100 pipes collecting stormwater from neighborhood drains throughout Lake Tahoe outflow into the lake or its tributaries, often without any type of filtration. Drains are marked with two markers, one in English and one in Spanish, which remind the public that anything flowing into the drains ends up in the lake, including any soap or oil from washing cars and fertilizers from overwatering lawns. These provide nutrients to invasive aquatic weeds and algae that cloud the lake’s clarity.
Many of the volunteers were Tahoe Keys residents.
“It was a great experience for those who attended and a reminder to our neighborhood and the whole community that runoff water goes to the lake,” said Pat Disney with the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association. “We encourage others to consider holding SOS events in their own neighborhoods.”
The City of South Lake Tahoe partnered on the events by providing maps of drain locations, staff time and educational presentations.
“This is a great success for the City and Tahoe Keys neighborhood, and highlights that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect Lake Tahoe’s pristine water,” said Jason Burke, stormwater program coordinator for the City. “Unlike other areas of the City where stormwater infiltration basins have been constructed, most of the storm drains in the Keys flow directly into the lake or lagoons with no treatment. The Keys have many constraints that make infiltration infeasible, such as limited space, high groundwater, and low infiltration rates.”
The League’s storm drain marking events are funded by generous grants from Wells Fargo, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association.
The League is now organizing volunteer drain marking events for Tahoe neighborhoods for the summer of 2015. Any neighborhood around the lake may participate. Contact the League at info@keeptahoeblue.org to organize an event for your neighborhood.