conditions

A deputy from the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office drowned just off the shore of El Dorado Beach in South Lake Tahoe on Thursday as he tried to save a family friend.

5 p.m. Update:

The Nevada Department of Transportation will begin overnight work to apply a top sealant coating to U.S. 395 between south Carson City and Gardnerville.

Smoke from fires burning in Northern California has moved into the Lake Tahoe basin, Reno and Carson City.

The air in Reno reached the unhealthy range at 4 p.m. on Saturday with a 151 air quality index.

There is no single fire contributing to this, rather many large wildfires and wildfire complexes in northern California.

Scientists have determined that Lake Tahoe’s iconic blueness is most strongly related to algae, not clarity. In a report released today from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, researchers found the lower the algal concentration, the bluer the lake.

In the “Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2015” report, research shows clarity is controlled by sediment. Blueness is controlled by algal concentration, which in turn is driven by the level of nutrients available to the algae.

With the passing of the 4th of July we find ourselves right in the middle of summer here in the Tahoe Basin. Locals and visitors alike recreating in many different ways, from camping to mountain biking, to boating, Lake Tahoe has something for everyone. This summer and particularly this summer due to continued drought conditions, it is important to remember just how fragile the Tahoe Basin is, and that there is a persistent threat of wildfire. Everyone needs to take steps to ensure they are being fire smart in everything they do. Doing the right thing, the wrong way can start a wildfire.

The long-range forecast doesn’t bode well for the interior West as it chokes on a fourth year of drought and smoke from wildfires.

With the fire season ramping up and temperatures starting to soar, drought and fire dominated the discussion at the Western Governors’ Association annual meeting being held this week at Incline Village on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, who has chaired the group for the past year, made drought his signature initiative, bringing together water experts and managers to develop best practices for water management and drought preparation.

Running has advantages. It burns more calories per minute than walking. It’s a powerful stress reducer. Running also reduces the risk for heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression. If you’re active and want to try this vigorous exercise, here’s where to start.

Your “Sweet Spot”
Proper running technique is more important than shoes! Try running barefoot. Where your foot lands, usually between your heel and fore-foot, is your “sweet spot.” Land on your sweet spot, roll forward, and push off. Now, try with shoes.

The Right Shoe

Fire pits. The outdoor means to a perfect s'more and good conversation around a fire on a cool summer evening. But, in the midst of a drought are they safe? Are they legal when fire restrictions are in place?

There are three fire district jurisdictions just in South Lake Tahoe, along with the U.S. Forest Service, and they all have different rules concerning the backyard fire pit. One thing they all do share is for residents and visitors to be smart about fire and to not be careless.

1:35 p.m. update on 6/23/15

The fire figures were updated this afternoon. At 8 a.m. they report almost 16,000 acres, then downsized a bit at noon to 13,562 after analyzing infrared reports. The 1:35 p.m. update is as follows:

The Washington Fire is actively burning. It is spreading due to both fuel-and-slope-driven forces and in some some drainages off of the East Fork Carson River. It has also spread to the north and to the east.

Fire is burning in hazardous and inaccessible terrain and approaching an increasing number of structures and impacting travel corridors.

Several residents on the west slope of El Dorado County have periodically made calls into law enforcement about "loud booms" heard over many days so the Sheriff's Department investigated several possible sources.

It turns out that the sounds were created by Naval Air Station Fallon and Hawthorne Army Depot maneuvers over the County, mostly heard in the area of Swansboro. The daily ordinance explosions and high speed fighters and bombers breaking the sound barrier have been determined to be the cause of the noises.

Winds hampered firefighting efforts at the lightening caused Saddle Fire on Saturday. As of 6 p.m., the fire has burned 1,480 acres in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, halfway between Redding and Eureka, California.

866 personnel are fighting the fire which is now 15% contained.

Firefighters have been protecting the homes along County Road 311, and as of June 13, no structures have been burned.

Challenges to firefighters include a heavy component of dead and down vegetation (from previous fires), hot, dry conditions, steep terrain, and ongoing drought.

Icy and wet conditions on Highway 89 over Luther Pass on Thursday, June 4 may have been the reason for a single car accident that resulted in the death of a 23-year old Markleville man.

Nathan Hansen, a South Tahoe High graduate, was driving over the summit just north of the Alpine County/El Dorado County line at approximately 1:49 p.m. when he left the roadway and crashed into a large tree.

The members and friends of the South Lake Tahoe Christian Science Church are sponsoring a gift to our community.

Recent rains have Lake Tahoe lapping at its natural rim and while it may stay there for a time, the lake should soon start dropping again during this year of drought.

Thursday, the lake level was officially measured at just a few hundredths of an inch before its rim but a trickle of water flowed from the lake and toward the Truckee River. Similar conditions have existed since Monday, the first time the lake was so high since dropping below the rim last October.

“It’s basically at the rim,” said Federal Water Master Chad Blanchard. “Right now it’s at its peak that we’ve seen.”

Douglas County homeowners have an opportunity to compost their residential yard waste early this fire season when TDFPD hosts a kickoff event for Compost Your Combustibles with coffee and donuts on Saturday, May 23 at 9am. The free annual recycling program which historically has started on Memorial Day Weekend is now open at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Boulder Lodge Parking Lot.

The Splash Day Club at Hard Rock Hotel Lake Tahoe was set to open over the Memorial Day weekend, but wet weather and a chance of thundershowers has caused management to postpone the grand opening.

“We’ve been ramping up for the opening of Splash Day Club, but we want to do it right with the best conditions possible,” said Chris Fiumara, vice president and general manager of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe. “Plus, it’s no secret this area needs some serious precipitation, so we’ll take it.”

The Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park will temporarily close at 8:00 P.M. tonight, May 13, 2015. This is due to a significant storm predicted for the area that will potentially produce several inches of new snow at higher elevations.

Both roads will remain temporarily closed until conditions permit safe travel. There is no estimated time for the roads to reopen.

For updated, 24-hour road conditions, please call 209-372-0200.

There is more snow in the forecast for the Sierra for elevations above 7,000 ft Thursday through Friday.

The National Weather Service in Reno says to expect winter driving conditions and possible chain controls over Sierra passes, especially at night or during heavier snow showers. Higher elevation routes including Sonora, Tioga, Ebbetts and Monitor passes may be closed later this week and possibly into the weekend.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the Mental Health Collaborative have declared May 10 to 16, Mental Health Awareness Week. Throughout the week, public events and articles, like the one below, will highlight “Each Mind Matters” in South Lake Tahoe.

According to California’s Mental Health Movement and the Centers for Disease Control, half of us will experience a mental health concern in our lifetime.

Due to the prospect of finding only bare ground, the Department of Water
Resources (DWR) did not conduct a May 1 snow survey at Phillips Station at the top of Echo Summit near Sierra-at-Tahoe.

“We can’t count on the Sierra snowpack to replenish our water supplies,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin. “Major reservoirs are dropping at a time when they typically would be filling with melted snow. We need careful, sparing use of water across the state, because we don’t know when this drought will end.”

Prescribed fire operations may continue around Lake Tahoe this week if weather permits. There are just two areas planned for burning: Off Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly and near Logan Creek Drive on the East Shore.

Smoke from the fires is normal and may continue for several days after materials have been ignited.

The Heavenly Valley fire area has 70.25 acres of hand piles to burn. There are 23 acres of hand piles and machine piles left to burn.

To City Manager of South Lake Tahoe, City Council

RE: motel housing

Honorable City Manager and City Council,

I am writing to you out of concern about the possible new ordinance regarding motel housing. In the past six years I have been involved with working for and advising various properties. The seven different properties opened my eyes to a separate part of our community that goes mostly unnoticed.

Weather conditions in the Lake Tahoe basin have been conducive to prescribed burns since fall, and as conditions permit, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit plans on continuing prescribed fire operations starting Monday, April 20, 2015.

Expect smoke from planned operations at Blackwood Canyon between Tahoe City and Tahoma, at Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly and on the East Shore near Logan Creek Drive. Burns may last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.