fire hydrants

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are three open seats on the South Tahoe Public Utility Board of Directors this election season, two for a four-year term and one for a two-year term.

South Tahoe Now reached out to the candidates and below are their answers to a set of questions. For the two four-year terms, incumbent Kelly Sheehan is running for reelection, Duane Wallace is running after being appointed to fill Jim Jones's spot on the board until this election, and they are joined by David Peterson.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive to discuss proposed rate increases.

Most of South Lake Tahoe’s water and sewer system was built in the 1950s and 1960s. Much of this infrastructure needs to be upgraded, repaired or replaced.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In 2014, the South Tahoe Public Utility District’s Board of Directors approved a series of annual rate increases to fund more than $50 million in critical improvements to South Tahoe’s water, wastewater, and recycled water systems. These upgrades lower long-term costs, improve fire flow, protect the environment and ensure longterm, quality service. On Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 6 p.m. the District will host a public meeting on the upgrades to the water, sewer and recycled water systems, and the ongoing improvements still needed.

Everyone knows what goes downhill, but the South Tahoe Public Utility District knows how to recycle it into 381,000 kilowatts of electricity per year. A recent feature article by the Association of California Water Agencies pointed out that STPUD is one of only a handful of utility districts in the entire world that can claim 100% reuse of wastewater and bio solids. Here’s how. We use centrifuges instead of the usual pollution causing burners. That allows us to make fertilizer for ranch land.

In the South Lake Tahoe public safety communication system installed in 1965, there are three major problems:

1) There are three systems working totally separately: the police, fire and public works departments;

2) Trees have grown since the system was installed 53 years ago, now blocking signals through the town;

3) Having functioning radio frequencies near water is challenging.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - With the collapse today of the roof at a local liquor store and the evacuation of another commercial area, the City of South Lake Tahoe is reaching out to the community with information on potential hazards with snow loads on roofs.

But what is the snow load for your roof?

The South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) is currently in the process of preparing the 2016/2017 budget. We invite the community to participate in a Public Meeting and Presentation on the Proposed Budget and Capital Improvement Plan at the District Offices on May 12, 2016, at 6 pm.

In 2014, the District sent a five-year Proposition 218 notice to all customers; this permitted the District to increase water rates up to a maximum of 6.5% and sewer rates up to a maximum of 6.0%.

Water

With over 1,000 fire hydrants within the borders of the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, they have unveiled the "Adopt a Hydrant" program.

It is impossible for fire crews to shovel and maintain all of them in a timely manner and since the California Fire Code requires fire hydrants to be free of obstructions and immediately identifiable, LVFPD is asking for the public's help.

Construction has begun on the 2014 State Streets Waterline Replacement Project.

This project will improve water quality, quantity, pressures and, most importantly, will enhance firefighting capability in the State Streets neighborhood. The project will consist of installation of a 12” main on Tahoe Keys Blvd. and 6” mains on Idaho Ave., Wyoming Ave., Montana Ave., Utah Ave., Colorado Ave., Arizona Ave., Texas Ave., and Jeffery St. In addition to the water mains, fire hydrants will be installed at approximately 500 foot intervals to provide better fire protection.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and Police Department responded to a fire at Pioneer Trail and April Drive on the evening of September 18th. Upon arrival, they saw that two homes were fully engulfed with nearby trees also on fire.