Abandoned homeless camps cleaned up in South Lake Tahoe

For the past several months, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) has been contacting homeless individuals using the meadow behind Motel 6 as an illegal campground, advising them that the area would soon be off limits.

SLTPD had the assistance of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless, attempting to connect the homeless living in the Upper Truckee River meadow with needed services. They were advised of public safety concerns including illegal fires, human waste, and trash in the meadow. The property owner was contacted and gave permission for the City to enter the property and clean up this sensitive area.

Some of the homeless had begun the process of removing trash on their own, and on Thursday, August 2, the City of South Lake Tahoe Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Police departments finished the process and spent the day cleaning up the meadow. They removed 40 yards of trash and debris and placed into a dumpster donated by South Tahoe Refuse. This wasn't the first time the dumpster had been donated and clean-up attempts were made. They put one in the parking lot of Motel 6 in Fall of 2017 and June of 2018 for the homeless and volunteers to dump items found in the same meadow.

SLTPD said they'd like to thank South Tahoe Refuse, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Lahontan Water Quality Control for working with the City to get the clean-up accomplished.

"The Police Department will continue to work with property owners, our homeless population, and community partners to reduce the negative impacts of these illegal camps on our City and environment," said SLTPD Lt. David Stevenson.