Draft environmental report released for Lake Tahoe shoreline plan

STATELINE — The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Tuesday released a draft environmental impact statement for a proposed Shoreline Plan for Lake Tahoe. The draft report is available for two months of public review and comment that will conclude Monday, July 9.

For two years, TRPA and nearly a dozen public and private partners on a Shoreline Steering Committee and Joint Fact-Finding Committee have been working together in a collaborative process to develop the proposed Shoreline Plan, which if approved by the end of 2018 as anticipated, would be the first major update to TRPA’s shoreline regulations in three decades.

Partners in the shoreline planning process include California State Lands Commission, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lake Tahoe Marina Association, League to Save Lake Tahoe, Nevada Division of State Lands, Tahoe Lakefront Owners’ Association, and TRPA.

“Lake Tahoe has struggled for decades to update its shoreline regulations. This marks a major milestone for this collaborative planning process and for our region,” said Joanne S. Marchetta, executive director of TRPA. “By continuing to work together in the months to come, I am confident we can approve a broadly-supported shoreline plan that will benefit the lake and its environment and people’s ability to enjoy it.”

With new regulations for piers, buoys, boat ramps, and marinas, the proposed Shoreline Plan aims to improve public recreation access to the lake, protect the environment and the scenic beauty of Lake Tahoe’s 72 miles of shoreline, provide new temporary strategies for shoreline structures to remain functional during low lake levels, and streamline shoreline permitting processes.

The draft environmental impact statement released today examines the potential impacts of a proposed Shoreline Plan that has been endorsed by the Shoreline Steering Committee, Joint Fact-Finding Committee, and Regional Plan Implementation Committee of the TRPA Governing Board, as well as several alternatives to the proposed plan.

The proposed Shoreline Plan would lift a decade-long moratorium on new shoreline structures at Lake Tahoe, authorizing up to two new public boat ramps and 10 new public piers, as well as up to 128 new private piers that would be permitted gradually with a priority for pier projects that serve multiple property owners or retire pier development potential on other lakefront properties. The proposed plan would authorize up to 1,430 new buoys for lakefront properties and homeowners associations and create a reserve pool of 630 buoys or boat slips for use by public agencies and marinas. The proposed shoreline plan would not authorize any new marinas but would allow marinas to expand or reconfigure their sites if they incorporate environmental improvements that reduce stormwater pollution, control aquatic invasive species, or reduce boat emissions.

To prevent shoreline erosion and recreation conflicts between motorized and non-motorized watercraft and swimmers, the proposed plan would maintain Lake Tahoe’s 600-foot no-wake-zone and expand it to include all of Emerald Bay. TRPA is also working with shoreline partners and law enforcement agencies to enhance compliance with the no-wake-zone.

The draft environmental impact statement is available for review at the TRPA offices and online at www.ShorelinePlan.org, where people can ask questions about the plan, submit comments about the environmental impacts and proposed mitigation measures, sign up for email notifications about the planning process and upcoming meetings, or request a Shoreline Plan presentation from TRPA staff.

TRPA and shoreline planning partners will host two community workshops to share information and collect feedback about the plan, one at the TRPA offices from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 4, and one at North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6. Upcoming public hearings for the plan include:

May 23, TRPA Governing Board
9:30 a.m. TRPA offices, 128 Market St., Stateline, NV

June 13, TRPA Advisory Planning Commission
9:30 a.m., TRPA offices, 128 Market St., Stateline, NV

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving local communities, and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment. For additional information, contact Tom Lotshaw, Public Information Officer, at (775) 589-5278.