Upper Truckee Marsh comment deadline nears

The Upper Truckee River near Cove East is part of the California Tahoe Conservancy project. Photo/LTN file

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — How the roughly 500 acres known as the Upper Truckee Marsh will be restored remains to be seen.

Once public input is completed next month, the California Tahoe Conservancy will begin the environmental analysis process. The final documents are expected to be out by the end of the year.

On Wednesday the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board heard a presentation on the project. Ultimately that board will have to certify the environmental impact statement and then approve a project in order for permits to be issued.

While there is money in the bank to complete the planning phase, actual construction dollars are elusive. These days, though, dollars aren’t forthcoming until the CEQA (California environmental rules) and NEPA (federal regs) are all met.

Scott Carroll with the CTC told the TRPA board the soonest improvements would begin on this South Shore parcel would be 2015-16.

The state agency has yet to pick a preferred alternative. Of the five on the table, one is the customary no action. The others are 50-50 channel for the Upper Truckee River, No. 2 is to create almost an entirely new channel, No. 3 is a natural-distributary channel, and No. 4 is an inset floodplain.

This acreage is in the middle of South Lake Tahoe – with the Tahoe Keys and Cove East on one side and Al Tahoe and the former Barton Meadow on the other.

According to CTC, the benefits are:

• Restoration or enhancement of more than 500 acres of stream environmental zone

• Enhancing aquatic and terrestrial habitat

• Improving meadow and riparian vegetation

• Raising groundwater levels

• Reducing fine sediment reaching Lake Tahoe

• Enhancing sensitive species habitat

• Reducing impervious coverage in the stream zone

• Providing appropriate public access.

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Notes:

Public meeting: March 28, 6-8:30pm
Lake Tahoe Community College, boardroom
No presentation will be given, but questions will be answered.
More info:
Scott Carroll
Scott.carroll@tahoe.ca.gov
(530) 543.6062
Vitals:
CEQA-TRPA comments due April 8
NEPA comments due April 26.