Published: Jul 14, 2011
Tahoe Conservancy Provides Final Funding for $3.3 Million Bi-State Water Quality Project
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – July 14, 2011 – The California Tahoe Conservancy today announced a $620,000 grant to Placer County to reduce polluted runoff from State Route 28 and the surrounding Brockway neighborhood. Together with the adjacent Boulder Bay project, which was recently approved by TRPA, the Placer County project will significantly reduce one of the largest sources of pollutants that damage the clarity of Lake Tahoe.
“This project is a key element of our strategy to meet the state’s aggressive new targets for lake clarity,” said Placer County Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery. “The Conservancy’s continued support and funding has been essential to maintain the County’s progress in improving water quality.”
The project will capture and treat sediment and other pollutants that now drain directly into Lake Tahoe, and will establish a new meandering channel and paved walkway to Speedboat Beach. The developers of the adjacent Boulder Bay project will fund and construct their own highly advanced treatment facilities as part of a coordinated approach to reduce runoff from State Route 28, neighborhood streets, and private developments in the Brockway area that straddles California and Nevada.
“Polluted runoff knows no boundaries,” said Patrick Wright, Executive Director of the Conservancy. “Through this collaborative effort, Federal, state, local, and private funds are all helping to address one of the Tahoe basin’s top priorities.”
The Conservancy’s grant provides the final share of funding for the $3.3 million project, and supplements previous Conservancy planning and acquisition grants totaling over $1.35 million. Other funders include the US Forest Service, TRPA, and the State of Nevada. Construction will begin in August 2011.
The Tahoe Conservancy leads California’s efforts to restore and improve the natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe basin. Since its inception in 1985, the Conservancy has invested over $400 million in Tahoe conservation and recreation projects, and owns over 6,000 acres of neighborhood open space, lakefront parks and watershed lands.