Public meetings to discuss control of aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.- The problem of aquatic invasive weeds and nuisance plants in the Tahoe Keys continues to grow, even with the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) investing time and money to control the problem. The aquatic invasive species (AIS) continue to spread and the costs continue to grow.

Weeds in the lagoons have been an issue since the 1970s. Seasonal harvesting has been the main weed control practice since the mid-1980s, removing more than 10,000 cubic yards annually at a cost up to $400,000 per year. TKPOA has spent $3,700,000 to date on AIS and water quality issues and anticipates spending $2,000,000 more by 2020. Tahoe Keys property owners are feeling the heavy burden of this onerous issue.

They have tried a bubble curtain, a laminar flow aeration system, skimmers, bottom barriers, and other methods as well as harvesting to control these weeds.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency along with the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and key stakeholders are holding a series of public meetings to discuss proposed test methods and environmental analysis for controlling weeds in the Tahoe Keys lagoons. These workshops are meant to encourage public feedback and to collect comments on the proposed testing methods.

“Aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys are one of the top threats to Lake Tahoe. Tackling this issue is critical to ensuring our Lake’s water clarity remains clear and blue and our beaches pristine,” said Jesse Patterson, chief strategy officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “The League is supportive of the current public process and is actively participating in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Steering Committee to ensure that the best outcomes for Lake Tahoe are being considered at all times. We will continue to be a voice for the Lake as this process moves forward.”

The scoping period for the Tahoe Keys Aquatic Weeds control methods test will run from June 17 until August 2, 2019. Comments can be submitted at the public workshops or via email to tahoekeysweeds@trpa.org.

“It is exciting to see this collaborative process move forward,” said Darcie Goodman Collins, Ph.D., CEO of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “Our hope is that together we will find the most effective combination of science-backed methods to test in the Tahoe Keys that will control the spread of aquatic weeds from the Keys into Lake Tahoe. We’ve already made progress using new technologies with the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association today, and I have every belief that this will one day be a success story of how property owners, agencies and nonprofits were all able to come together to find innovative solutions to Keep Tahoe Blue.”

The public is invited to attend the following meetings:

Tuesday, June 25, 5-7 p.m.
Lahontan Regional Water Quality
Control Board Annex Building
971 Silver Dollar Ave.
South Lake Tahoe, CA

Wednesday, June 26, 9:30 a.m.
TRPA Governing Board Meeting
128 Market Street
Stateline, NV

Tuesday, July 16, 5-7 p.m.
North Tahoe Event Center
8318 North Lake Tahoe Blvd.
Kings Beach, CA

For more information on the project and upcoming workshops, visit tahoekeysweeds.org.