Coalition seeks lower water level at Tahoe

Friday, Sept. 10, 1999 | 3 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RENO, Nev. - Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is being asked to consider lowering the level of Lake Tahoe until more is known about how shoreline erosion pollutes the lake.

A petition requesting the action will be presented to Babbitt during a reception in San Francisco on Monday, said Lake Tahoe attorney Gregg Lien, who represents shoreline property owners.

The petition is signed by representatives for environmental groups, property owners and the Tahoe Research Group of University of California, Davis.

The coalition is asking Babbitt that consideration be given to a temporary reduction in Lake Tahoe's water levels while studies are conducted into whether high water is a significant source of sediments entering the lake. Sediments are rich with phosphorus, a key nutrient causing algae to grow in the lake.

"It's simply a major unanswered question," said Rochelle Nason, executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. "Nobody knows whether this is contributing a significant amount of sediment and it needs to be investigated."

Concerned that high water levels are causing more shoreline erosion this year than ever before, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency recently decided it wants the issue examined.

In response, downstream water users, including Sierra Pacific Power Co., the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District and the Washoe County Water Conservation District sent a letter to TRPA downplaying erosion problems along Tahoe's shoreline.

They're worried any reduction in the lake level could threaten important water supplies stored at the lake.

The Lake Tahoe Dam at Tahoe City controls some 6 feet of water on top of the lake. The lake can store up to 744,600 acre-feet of water, enough to supply the cities of Reno and Sparks for a decade.

But Lake Tahoe interests are concerned shoreline erosion could play a significant role in the continuing loss of Tahoe's famous clarity.