Large Scale Beach and Lake Tahoe Clean Up After Fireworks

Volunteers are scouring Lake Tahoe beaches and waters, looking for fireworks remnants and other trash.

In response to the lawsuit filed after large amounts of fireworks debris was found on the beach at Pinewild last summer, local service clubs, employee groups and other volunteer teams formed by local agencies joined in beach clean up efforts.

Many people were out cleaning beaches on Saturday morning and were joined by boats and jet skis operated by local fire departments and law enforcement. According to Eric Guevin, Tahoe Douglas Fire Marshall, the boats were running a grid pattern off the shore at Edgewood and Nevada beaches. They were using nets and skimmers to pull out any debris. Guevin said not much was found today but attributed that fact to the winds that were first blowing north, and then east. There may be debris found on the beaches near Elk Point and Marla Bay over the next few days.

Beach clean up teams will be working all week on all Lake Tahoe beaches. Saturday's group at Edgewood and Nevada beaches was made up mostly of Harrahs and Harveys employees but many City of South Lake Tahoe volunteers joined in as well. They are pictured in the story with the bags collected as of 10 a.m. Saturday.

Guevin said that a lot of things were done this year to make sure fireworks waste was kept to a minimum. "We now have Fireworks Best Management Practices," he said in reference to the local BMPs required of home and business owners (Best Management Practices).