El Dorado County Water Digest

At a cost of $4,171,246.80 crews will replace 3,576 linear feet of water line on Forebay Road.

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced $3.1 million in funding she secured for Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to prevent and combat the spread of aquatic invasive species in the lake through the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program.

D.L. Bliss State Park, on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, will be closed for the summer to replace the aging main waterline, which will impact hiking on the Rubicon Trail.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is highlighting native species protection programs and legal and safety requirements below ahead of boating season to improve safety and protect Lake Tahoe’s environment and native ecosystem.

Three El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors members unanimously approved awarding the construction contract to the low bidder, Auburn Constructors, for $374,300.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service can continue to use aerial fire retardant to fight wildfires while waiting on a Clean Water Act permit.

After a period of disrepair, the Tahoe Star has returned to the Jewel of the Sierra and is now available to the general public for private charters under new ownership.

The site of a future Texas Hill Reservoir that would impound water from Weber Creek is getting a partial rezoning. Some privately owned properties within the take line were previously residentially zoned but were rezoned as recreational facilities.

The inaugural Lake Tahoe Litter Summit, hosted by nonprofit Clean Up the Lake, brought together 50 of Lake Tahoe's agency leaders and citizens fighting litter in the basin.

The unseasonably warm temperatures at Lake Tahoe have prompted officials to issue a flood warning for a rapidly melting snowpack.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District is developing a strategic plan for recycled water to analyze options and establish a roadmap for the future. The district will host a public meeting from 6-8 p.m. May 23.

Fort Bragg is embarking on an innovative pilot project to desalt ocean water for the Mendocino Coast community using carbon-free wave action to power an energy-intensive process that in other cases generates climate changing greenhouse gases.

Facing aging water and sewer systems, the South Tahoe Public Utility District Board of Directors will consider raising rates for the 2024 fiscal year.

And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

The mantra “Keep Tahoe Blue” has become synonymous with the region. But far fewer people know the history of the movement it represents. Here’s a glimpse of the story behind the sticker.

Three miles in three different sections of the Mother Lode force main will be replaced by Teichert Construction with completion by August 2024, according to an update heard by the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has awarded a $114.4 million construction contract to Folsom Dam Constructors.

For the last five months of 2022, Lake Tahoe was the clearest it has been since the 1980s. That is due in part to a resurgence of the lake's native zooplankton.

One of the options would override California’s water rights and split the cuts evenly between California, Nevada and Arizona—which would be a big blow to Imperial Valley farmers.

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is sponsoring its third annual circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe, a kayaking journey that takes place June 19-25.

California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways, the Department of Water Resources and Cal Fire are urging the public to be aware of cold-water dangers this spring as record snowpack is causing flow levels not seen in years.

El Dorado County is adding $275,000 to its 2022-23 facilities capital work plan for emergency repairs to the Veterans Memorial Building in Placerville after it sustained winter storm damage.

According to a new study, ponderosa pine forests in the Sierra Nevada that were wiped out by western pine beetles won’t recover to pre-drought densities. But there’s less risk of another huge die-off this century because the bark beetles will have fewer host trees.

The Department of Water Resources conducted the fourth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit, ecording 126.5 inches of snow depth.

Steve Griffin, a resident of the Hidden Lake neighborhood north of Placerville, told the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors he had sent out 50 notices to property owners and received positive feedback on transferring ownership of the lake to a private party or community entity.

Facing the challenges of fire, rain and snow, the Georgetown Divide Public Utilities District staff continues to move forward with the district’s capital improvement plan.

“The Lake of the Sky” is grabbing attention this winter for more than one reason. Emerald Bay froze completely, including the inlet, for the first time in many years.

Directors of the El Dorado Irrigation District voted 4-1 to accept the midrange bid for a cost-of-service analysis by NBS. Director Lori Anzini shifted her vote from the Feb. 27 meeting when she and Director Alan Day voted for the lowest total cost bid.

The California Tahoe Conservancy Board approved a $250,000 grant to Tahoe Resource Conservation District for aquatic invasive plant surveillance and rapid response.

Rain on snow events bring unique challenges to wastewater operations at Lake Tahoe. As streets and meadows flood, stormwater seeps through manholes and into the sewer system.

Many people are looking at the snow and water levels and asking that question. The answer depends on where you are in the West and how you define “drought.” A researcher at the Desert Research Institute’s Western Regional Climate Center explains.

The nonprofit environmental group released the results of two projects: one that uses a beach-cleaning robot to remove trash hidden in the sand, and another designed to measure the 2021 Caldor Fire’s impacts on the Tahoe ecosystem.