Region weathers first storm; snow comes next

Updated 2:10pm:

Since the first of the year Lake Tahoe has risen about 1 foot; that’s 33.6 billion gallons of water.

Interstate 80 is open in both directions.

Highway 395 is closed in both directions from Stephanie to Cradlebaugh Bridge. Jacks Valley Road is open.

Multiple state roads in the greater Truckee Meadows and Carson Valley areas remain closed as the Nevada Department of Transportation clears and accesses flood-related damages. Road closures can change rapidly.

Here is what NDOT is working on:

• Some of the greatest flood damage to state roads occurred in the Pyramid Lake area, with extensive damage to highways 445, 446 and 447. An approximately 50-feet drop-off was created by erosion on Highway 446 along Pyramid Lake. Sections of state roads in the Pyramid Lake area will continue to be closed indefinitely as repairs are made.
• At Kingsbury Grade all of the new roadway surface and much of the new earth that was placed down to fill the previous erosion remained intact. However, with the overwhelming amount of precipitation, additional erosion occurred in the area, particularly to drainage areas. With snow and winter weather forecast, NDOT will do all possible to repair the road efficiently and quickly, but no timeframe is yet set. 
• Both directions of Interstate 80 west of Keystone Avenue of downtown Reno has extensive potholing.
• Genoa and Muller lanes in the Minden/Carson Valley area remain closed. The entire length of Genoa Lane between Highway 395 and Foothill Road is closed. The western section of Muller Lane is closed between Highway 395 and Foothill Road. Both roads experienced roadway shoulder damage, but are anticipated to reopen within the next day or two. Residents will valid ID are allowed access on Muller and Genoa lanes.
• NDOT bridge inspectors have visually assessed state bridges susceptible to high levels of erosion in northwestern Nevada for any imminent bridge safety concerns. No immediate damages or imminent safety concerns were found.

Liberty Utilities says treacherous conditions have slowed the restoration progress in some areas. Service remains out for multiple customers between Tahoe City and Tahoma. Additional crews have been brought in and are onsite. Sporadic outages continue throughout the service territory due to falling trees and branches.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a high wind watch from Reno through Carson valley for the 24-hour period ending Tuesday night. Flooding is also still possible in those areas.

All Washoe County schools, including Incline Village schools, will be on a two-hour delay Tuesday.

Gary Kank sent this video to Lake Tahoe News. It was from his commute on Jan. 9 from South Lake Tahoe to Shingle Springs on Highway 50. It’s the most water he’s seen in 15 years.

Updated 9:33am

South Tahoe Public Utility at peak flow on Jan. 8 had 17.5 million gallons coming through its sewer lines. This is twice the pumping capacity over Luther Pass to the Carson Valley. This meant the emergency retention basins near the plant are in use.

Stormwater was getting into the pump stations at Fallen Leaf Lake those were pumped out so there would not be an overflow.

“A number of lift stations had all the pumps on full speed which almost never happens,” Richard Solbrig, executive director of STPUD, told Lake Tahoe News. “Hopefully, we escaped the worst of it. Snow is not as hard to deal with as rain on snow.

As of 3:30am, customers from Emerald Bay through and including Tahoma have power. All other West Shore customers remain without power with estimated restoration time at 5pm Monday. NV Energy crews are assisting Liberty crews in addition to the contracted crews called in three days ago. There are two power lines that have been affected by mudslides and downed trees, and two of NV Energy sources that supply Liberty were affected by mudslides. Road closures are hampering efforts to get supplies and crews to needed locations. 

In Douglas County damage assessment teams have been deployed to determine the impact of the storm and necessary clean-up. Officials are being advised the West Fork of the Carson River is expected to recede below the banks. There was a crest in the east fork last night and is now below flood stage. Last night’s evacuees are expected to return home later in the day.

By Kathryn Reed

The Upper Truckee River through South Lake Tahoe and Meyers for the most part stayed within its banks, allowing South Shore residents and officials to breathe a sigh of relief.

The hope is that the water level will recede a bit before the next system arrives.

“There were no major incidents of any kind,” City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News. “Many of the investments we’ve made over the last 10 years such as the Bijou erosion control project and others performed exceptionally well.”

Minor flooding occurred at Denny’s restaurant, at school sites, Knights Inn hotel and residences. The worst road flooding was in the state streets area where the drainage is nonexistent and there is a high water table.

Placer County said it received 4 inches of rain in 24 hours.

Liberty Utilities is reporting outages in El Dorado and Placer counties, with no details available.

Problems throughout the region remain. Kingsbury Grade is closed again because of a sink hole in the same area where the road was repaired last week. There is no estimated time when it will be open. People can still drive from Highway 50 to Tramway.

Caltrans is still working to clear the mudslide on Interstate 80 that has traffic halted from Colfax to the Nevada state line. The eastbound lanes are open.

Highway 89 around Emerald Bay is closed.

Truckee has measurable water on some roads. Water has gone down along Glenshire Drive near Trout Creek, however there is still standing water along Donner Pass Road at Donner Lake. 

Public safety and transportation officials are urging people not to travel on any roads in the region unless they have to.

Most schools in and around the basin are closed on Jan. 9 – including Lake Tahoe Unified, Douglas County at the lake, Incline Village, Tahoe-Truckee Unified, Lake Tahoe Community College, and Sierra Nevada College.

Ski resorts are assessing whether they will open on Monday. Most were shuttered on Sunday. Northstar, Squaw and Alpine are closed.

The Truckee River in Reno-Sparks is starting to rise again and could crest in Sparks at about noon today. There have been no flood related injuries, but rescues have occurred in the Reno area.

While the rain has changed to snow for much of Tahoe-Truckee, another significant system is barreling down on the region. It should be here this evening and last through Thursday. A winter storm warning is in effect for the Tahoe basin through Thursday at 4am.

For detailed road information, click on the state icons on the home page Lake Tahoe News.

Another 6 to 8 feet of snow is expected above 7,000 feet, with 2 to 5 feet at lake level, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

By Friday it is expected to be mostly sunny.

The U.S. Postal Service said it had trouble last week delivering mail in South Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Incline Village and the same may be true this week because of road conditions.