Bijou Area Erosion Control Project providing environmental and appearance improvements

A unanimous vote by the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday paved the way for the formation of a Community Facilities District (CFD) in the Bijou area which will have a major impact on Lake Tahoe's water quality.

The $18M water project improvements include replacement of the failing Bijou Creek storm drainage culvert and construction of a regional storm water treatment system for the 42-acre Bijou commercial core project area. It will provide a third of the pollutant load reduction in the City's municipal stormwater system.

With the formation of the Bijou Area Erosion Control Project CFD, commercial property owners can voluntarily contribute toward the operation and maintenance costs of the City's system through a special tax. By doing so the property owners will not have to complete individual Best Management Practices (BMPs) because the project will contribute so much to water clarity at a substantially lower cost.

The 10 commercial property owners in the new district were mailed ballots of which six were returned to the SLT City Clerk. All six were in favor of the district creation.

The special district tax will fun ongoing operation and maintenance of the Erosion Control Project.

"This is a step in the right direction for the future of improvements in our community for public and private investments," said City Manager Nancy Kerry during the meeting.

A final reading and vote on the ordinance will take place at the Councils August 5th meeting.