clarity

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Phase II of the three-year, $57,000,000 Highway 50 project from the Y to the Trout Creek Bridge in South lake Tahoe is complete and Caltrans will back in the Spring of 2019 to work on the final phase.

The project is a water quality project that has also addressed ADA compliance on curbs, widened bike paths to six feet, added bus pullouts, replaced curbs, gutters and sidewalks, added new pavement, added one stop light, and will have replaced two others and added left turn lane improvements at Sierra Boulevard when it wraps up next year.

The Tahoe Fund is actively seeking new project ideas to help solve the challenges facing Lake Tahoe. The nonprofit is interested in projects with fundraising goals of $5,000 to $1,000,000 that will improve lake clarity, outdoor recreation, forest resilience, transportation and stewardship.

Organizations are invited to submit project ideas by January 31, 2019 at tahoefund.org/challenge.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Years of collaboration with a variety of partners have brought to completion two major initiatives for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). During their governing board meeting on October 24 a new Shoreline Plan was unanimously approved as was a comprehensive package of changes to the agency’s development rights system.

Warming temperatures pose major challenges for Lake Tahoe's environment, communities, and the outdoor recreation that drives its economy. Research by University of California, Davis's Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of Nevada, Reno, and Desert Research Institute clearly shows Lake Tahoe is warming.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Just as road construction is wrapping up for the second phase of the "Y" to Trout Creek Bridge project in South Lake Tahoe, plans were unveiled for the next building season.

Caltrans Project Manager Clark Peri presented an outline of three of their projects on the South Shore during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

"Y" to Trout Creek Bridge

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Money is on its way to South Lake Tahoe to restore the Upper Truckee Marsh, the largest remaining wetland in the Sierra Nevada, and reverse damage created by decades of development.

The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) announced Thursday they received $1,700,066 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife towards their project to redirect the Upper Truckee River to its historic network of channels through the Marsh. Water flowing through the Marsh will slow down, allowing sediment to settle instead of reaching Lake Tahoe.

Last month this column focused on the faces of Tahoe’s housing crisis. This month we look at a few promising solutions from other tourist communities.

One example is the Town of Vail’s “Vail InDEED” program. Like Tahoe, the Town of Vail is constrained by a lack of available land and high construction costs. Development of new housing is slow and costly. The Vail InDEED program was created to deed restrict existing properties to create a market for locals only.

Last month, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released the Tahoe: State of the Lake Report, which included their finding of an average of 59.7 feet depth of water clarity for 2017, the lowest since they began taking measurements. In advance of the 2018 Lake Tahoe Summit, the following is from Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD, chief executive officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, on the findings:

The following is a comment in support of Preferred Alternative 2B of the Upper Truckee River Restoration and Golf Course Reconfiguration Project submitted by the League to Save Lake Tahoe to California State Parks:

In June, 2018, we found out the epic clarity of Lake Tahoe was measured at an average of 59.7 feet in 2017, a 9.5 foot drop from the previous year and 10.3 feet lower than the five-year average according to a report compiled by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) at the University of California, Davis.

This measurement surpassed the previous lowest level of 64.1 feet which was recorded in 1997, but far below the record high of over 100 feet in the mid-1960s.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Your chariot has arrived!

The League to Save Lake Tahoe has teamed with Chariot to bring a new microtransit service to the South Shore starting on Monday, July 9. They will use the busy summer traffic-congested tourist area to test a solution for transportation issues around the lake.

Lake Tahoe is one of the clearest lakes in the world, known around the globe for its spectacular scenery. The lake’s water clarity is one of the many attributes that make the Tahoe Basin such an amazing natural resource and a mecca for outdoor recreation.

The epic clarity of Lake Tahoe was measured at an average of 59.7 feet in 2017, a 9.5 foot drop from the previous year and 10.3 feet lower than the five-year average according to the annual report compiled by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California, Davis.

This measurement surpasses the previous lowest level of 64.1 feet which was recorded in 1997, but far below the record high of over 100 feet in the mid-1960s.

There are four people running for El Dorado County Supervisor for the 5th District on June 5: Incumbent Sue Novasel and challengers Kenny Curtzwiler, Norma Santiago and Jeffrey Spencer. The 5th District covers Pollock Pines to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma.

South Tahoe Now asked each candidate the same questions, and here are all of their answers, exactly as they were presented to us.

Sue Novasel
Occupation: El Dorado County Supervisor – District V
Past political history:
2015 – Present: County Supervisor, District V

The Tahoe Fund has expanded its Advisory Council to include the Forest Supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Jeff Marsolais, and the Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Joanne Marchetta. Marsolais and Marchetta add federal and regional agency representation to the council that already includes Patrick Wright, Executive Director of the California Tahoe Conservancy and Jim Lawrence, Deputy Director of Nevada’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Earth Day at Lake Tahoe has a special meaning. Working together through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, more than 50 local, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sector partners are implementing projects and programs to conserve the Tahoe Basin’s environment and fix past environmental harms.

Pipe Keepers is a citizen science program to address the threat of stormwater pollution entering Lake Tahoe. Runoff from storms and snowmelt is the largest source of pollution that degrades Lake clarity. League staff will train you to survey local neighborhoods and collect stormwater samples during rain and snowmelt events.

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Pipe Keepers is a citizen science program to address the threat of stormwater pollution entering Lake Tahoe. Runoff from storms and snowmelt is the largest source of pollution that degrades Lake clarity. League staff will train you to survey local neighborhoods and collect stormwater samples during rain and snowmelt events.

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The Nevada Department of Transportation this week completed the second construction season of the State Route 28 Shared Use Path, Water Quality and Safety Improvement Project near Incline Village. The entire project is anticipated to complete in late 2018 or early 2019, depending on weather.

Two military veterans have become the newest deputies for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

During a ceremony on November 6 in front of family and friends, Deputy Kendrick Ta and Deputy Jose Gutierrez were sworn in as peace officers in the State of Nevada.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe supports Measure C, the ballot measure to fix potholes and repair road surfaces in the City of South Lake Tahoe. Fixing our roads protects Lake Tahoe, and is a critical complement to the advocacy by the League and many others to reduce pollution associated with Tahoe’s traffic. Taking action now is essential if we are to restore the Lake to its historic clarity.

The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) Board of Directors approved several funding agreements with local entities Friday which will provide free rides for several groups including Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) students, employees and guests of the Ridge Tahoe and associated properties, as well as Heavenly Mountain Resort employees.

The agreement between TTD and Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) to allow current students with a valid Lake Tahoe Community College identification card to ride all local transit services at no charge during the academic year ending June 30, 2018.

he Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on Wednesday recognized 15 exceptional projects completed in 2016 with Best in Basin awards.

Now in its 27th year, TRPA’s Best in Basin awards program each year showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Caltrans work in South Lake Tahoe is normally suspended at 11:00 a.m. on Fridays due to weekend traffic, but weather this week has caused roadwork to go through the day September 22.

Highway 50 will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Dunlap Drive to Winnemucca Avenue on Friday to allow for paving and striping from about 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The work again will be dependent on weather and temperature conditions.