water

The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association will host an expert panel and public workshop on August 11 on their plan to fight aquatic invasive weeds, which will be the best opportunity for interested community members to learn more about the problem and proposed solution.

Location

As reported on South Tahoe Now Friday, the Hard Rock Lake Tahoe shut down their pool due to a large leak which was releasing chlorinated water into the soil.

The initial leak had been discovered on Thursday, and the pool and pump were shut down until it could be determined where the problem was located.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS
State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

You're hiking along the trails of Lake Tahoe, fall and break your ankle. How do you get to the hospital? You're exploring the valleys and canyons of the Sierra, it gets dark and you don't know where you are. How do you get to safety? You've fallen on the slippery rocks of a waterfall and can't get out. Who do you call?

El Dorado Search and Rescue (SAR) is the answer to all of these questions and dozens more. Annually, the volunteers and deputies that make up SAR handle between 150 and 200 calls in the county portion of the Tahoe basin (AKA the east slope).

The public is invited to the 16th annual Children's Environmental Science Day presented by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center on Sunday, August 2 at Commons Beach in Tahoe City. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will continue until 3:30 p.m., with a free Mumbo Gumbo concert at 4:00 p.m.

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.

The Kyburz Fire is burning about 25 miles west of South Lake Tahoe. It has burned both sides of Highway 50 near and around the American River. It started on Highway 50 near Whitehall.

10 a.m. update 7/27/15:

The Sand Flat Campground has reopened as firefighters can almost total control of the fire lines. They now have 98% of the fire contained.

An updated infrared look at the scene has again reduced the amount burned to 75 acres.

They will not be updating the fire command website after Tuesday as they transfer o a forest Type 4 organization.

The final celebrity jets were taking off from South Lake Tahoe Tuesday, just as the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) welcomed in a Bombardier CL415 firefighting aircraft.

Nicknamed "Super Scooper" because it can scoop up 1,600 gallons of water from a lake and drop it on the front lines of a fire.

The U.S. Forest Service will begin the first phase of their retrofitting of the Camp Richardson campground on July 21, something that has been in the planning stages since 2009.

During this first phase, they will remove approximately 250 trees in the campground on the north side of Highway 89. This portion of the project will last about two weeks. Work will be completed on this side of Highway 89 in October.

Phase two on the south side of Highway 89 is anticipated to begin in September 2015 and be finished by June 2016.

Long Term Projects

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

Nighttime lane closures will be in place over the coming week on South Carson Street and U.S. 50 near Spooner junction for the Nevada Department of Transportation’s Carson City Freeway project.

Lane closures and reduced speed limits will be in place on both South Carson Street and U.S. 50 in the Spooner junction area beginning Sunday, June 19 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The closures are anticipated to last for approximately one week.

Lake Tahoe was treated to a rare weather occurrence Wednesday night as a water spout formed along the west shore of the lake.

The water spout, essentially a very weak tornado over water, formed near the mouth of Emerald Bay just after 9 p.m., according to Brett Kendall, brewmaster at nearby FOLK Brewing Co., who snapped a picture of the aqueous twister from the lake’s east shore.

This Thursday, Fish Out of Water make their Live at Lakeview debut and aim to command the senses, move the masses, and leave you contemplating love, life, and everything in between.

“It’s as if Led Zeppelin, Bootsie Collins, Bob Marley, and Ice Berg Slim were wrapped up into one bad-ass persona.” Griffith Jackson - Sacramento News & Review
San Diego’s premier rock, funk, reggae and hip-hop specialists, Fish Out of Water, will take the stage from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. with local reggae band, Taking Root opening up the show at 4:30 p.m.

Due to a forecasted 80% chance of thunderstorms today, Live at Lakeview will be held inside Tep’s Villa Roma’s banquet room from 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. World’s Finest, a 5-piece Americana band with a ska twist will perform for Live at Lakeview’s
3rd week in the series with MerryGold opening the show at 7:00 p.m. Admission for this 21+ show will be $5, which will go to the entertainment.

Imagine gliding through the water while a gondolier serenades you and a loved one as you enjoy wine and the nearby sights. You may have pictured a scene in Venice, Italy, but this is now a reality in Lake Tahoe with new South Shore business Tahoe Amore, a Venetian gondola company offering tours through the Tahoe Keys.

Tahoe Amore will celebrate a ribbon cutting with Tahoe Chamber on July 16 at 4 p.m. in the Tahoe Keys Marina.

Douglas County Emergency Management is currently working on managing the storms that are currently passing through Douglas County. Areas of concern are the flood prone areas of the Fish Springs, Johnson Lane, Foothill Road and Topaz Ranch Estates.

Current road closures at this time in Douglas County are East Valley Road near Eldon Way in the Johnson Lane area. Precautions should be taken when driving along roads that have steep embankments alongside such as SR207 Kingsbury Grade for falling rocks and debris.

Nevada and 12 other states took swift action Monday to challenge an Obama administration rule expanding the federal government’s authority over non-navigational waters.

The suit, joined by Attorney General Adam Laxalt with the blessing of Gov. Brian Sandoval, was filed in federal court in the southeastern district of North Dakota on the same day a final rule expanding the definition of “Waters in the United States” was published in the Federal Register.

Twice in the last week, people flying drones disrupted wildfire operations in Southern California, causing federal, state and local wildfire managers to come out with a warning to the public, "Do not fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) within or near wildfires."

9:00 p.m. update:

This just in from the Douglas County Sheriff's Department: On June 27, 2015, at approximately 6:17 p.m., the East Fork Fire District in Douglas County responded to a report of several wildland fires along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

There have been reports of six fires along the west side of the Carson Valley.

East Fork Fire, along with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have responded to the multiple fires and are working to access each of the fires.

A bird found in the El Dorado Hills area of the county tested positive for West Nile Virus this week.

The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on June 16 and is the first bird of the year to be found to have the virus. So far this year, West Nile virus activity has been reported in 26 California counties, including neighboring Sacramento and Placer counties.

No human cases of the virus have been reported in California thus far in 2015.

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.

6:00 p.m. update 6/29/15

Firefighters made a lot of progress on the fire lines at the Washington Fire south of Markleeville on Monday, gaining containment of 56% of the perimeter. So far, 17,787 acres have burned.

The lightning caused fire grew quickly a week ago, from 30 acres on June 19 to 6,500 acres by June 21.

At one time, over 1,100 fire personnel were working on suppression of the fire. Those numbers were reduced today to 860 as containment grew.

Markleville residents are faced with the possibility of having to evacuate if the Washington Fire comes towards their town.

Skyland residents recently took part in a neighborhood fire drill, being told they had to evacuate their homes in 10 minutes.

What would yo take?

That plan should start now, before you are faced with that time of fear and panic.

Prepare a 'Disaster Preparedness Kit.' Items in this kit should last you and your family for three days:

Aquatic invasive plants are threatening Lake Tahoe! The League to Save Lake Tahoe needs everyone's help to prevent the spread of these pesky invaders.

'Eyes on the Lake' is the League's volunteer program to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive plants in Tahoe’s waters. If you are a water lover in Tahoe (SCUBA diver, paddler, swimmer, beach goer, or boater) and want to help ensure Lake Tahoe’s waters stay clear and pristine, then 'Eyes on the Lake' is for you.

Volunteers will learn how to identify plants in the classroom and in the field. Help protect the Lake while you play.