Boat channel at Keys narrowing as lake drops

Navigational buoys at the mouth of the Tahoe Keys main channel on Nov. 25. Photo/LTN

Getting boats in and out of the Tahoe Keys is not getting any better as winter progresses.

Buoys for navigation and speed limits at the main channel are sitting to the side, in muck because the water level is so low.

If the lake level rises — especially in any significant way, it won’t be until the spring from runoff.

It remains to be seen if boaters who use the South Lake Tahoe waterway will get any help in regards to dredging. The marina owners are responsible for the main channel and the homeowners for the other inlet.

“(Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association) has a permit from Lahontan to dredge the homeowner’s channel in the lake. We have recently heard from their consultant that they will be submitting a request to amend the permit. We do not have anything in writing regarding this request to amend the permit,” Lauri Kemper, assistant executive officer with Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, told Lake Tahoe News. “We do not have a complete application from the Tahoe Keys Marina for dredging.”

The U.S. Coast Guard station in Tahoe City said it would not issue a hazardous navigation warning because the marina is privately owned.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report