pollutants

The official dedication of South Lake Tahoe's 1.2-mile shared-use bike path that connects Elks Point and Round Hill Pines and provides access to Rabe Meadow with Nevada Beach and Round Hill Pines Resort will be held on Thursday, June 19 at 12 p.m.

The second segment of the Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway, South Shore Demonstration Project adds to the existing path for a total of 2.2 miles. Meanwhile, the North Demonstration Project is expected to begin construction in 2015 and the first phase will connect Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park.

They’ve been called unpleasant names that can’t be printed. They’ve received death threats. For a few days one may even assume they were hated. That was then.

They’re being called courageous. They’re being called heroes. They’re being thanked for caring about our environment and bringing the effect of fireworks in the lake to the forefront. That is now.

With support from California Proposition 84 stormwater grant funds, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD) is leading the effort to measure pollutants in urban runoff at Lake Tahoe to help evaluate the combined effectiveness of pollutant control measures and consistently track and report monitoring findings. This effort, known as the Regional Storm Water Monitoring Program (RSWMP) is a collaborative program supported by regulatory agencies, local government representatives, and scientists in the Lake Tahoe region.

With Tahoe South’s two annual fireworks celebrations meeting all state and federal standards throughout their 30-year history, area tourism officials strongly denounced a lawsuit that could threaten the annual July Fourth and Labor Day events as totally unnecessary.

In November, Joseph and Joan Truxler, of Zephyr Cove, Nev., filed a federal lawsuit against the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Pyro Spectaculars North alleging the twice-annual fireworks shows violated the Clean Water Act.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is currently reviewing the opening brief filed by regional plan litigants who, according to the Agency, are continuing their misinformation campaign about the updated environmental plan that is supported widely by environmental advocates, business groups, and state and local leaders.

Announced hours before the Lake Tahoe environmental summit with former vice president Al Gore as the featured guest, Nevada's Division of Environmental Protection said it has established an agreement to help protect the lake's famed clarity by limiting the amount of road sediment allowed into the water.

While clarity improved at Lake Tahoe for a second straight year in 2012, long-term trends show that climate change is impacting the Lake Tahoe Basin with drier years, less precipitation, higher lake temperatures and projected lower lake levels.

These conclusions are found within the lake's annual health exam,"Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2013," released today by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California, Davis.

Following years of public process and serious discussions to improve one of the strictest environmental plans in the nation, the Sierra Club recently filed suit on the update of Lake Tahoe’s Regional Plan, a blueprint for the region’s long-term sustainability.

For the first time since 1987, Lake Tahoe has a new regional plan for development and land use.
Twelve of the 14 voting members of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's governing board voted in favor of the new plan, with one member voting against it and another abstaining, according to TRPA spokesman Jeff Cowan.

Business interests say the plan is an overdue overhaul of regulations that will jump-start Tahoe's tourism economy while also protecting its environment.

Insights into how policies have evolved at Lake Tahoe to better focus efforts on the pollutants causing Tahoe’s declining clarity are discussed in an interview hosted by Michelle Sweeney at TahoeProject.org. Interviewed are Dr. Nicole Beck, principal and founder of ecosystem science and design firm 2NDNATURE based in Santa Cruz, and Jason Drew, associate scientist at Nichols Consulting Engineers.

The Tahoe Transportation District will host an Open House forum on Wed., May 16, to discuss the SR Highway 28 corridor safety and congestion issues. The forum will introduce the East Shore Express, a proposed shuttle from Incline Village to Sand Harbor Beach State Recreation Area this summer as well as updates on the North Demonstration Bikeway, a 3-mile off-road path between Incline Village and Sand Harbor.

Construction has wrapped up on three roadwork projects in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, Caltrans reports Wednesday in a news release. The projects were designed to improve water quality and traffic safety in the region.

By Ray Lacey
The California Tahoe Conservancy today awarded funding for two of South Lake Tahoe's signature environmental and recreational projects: the Bijou Creek Watershed Project and the South Tahoe Greenway bike trail.