Tahoe Pipe Club filming untreated water flowing into Lake Tahoe
The scientists at Tahoe Pipe Club have just completed the what they call most comprehensive field assessment of wet weather hydrologic connectivity of urban storm pipes in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
This film is the result of this effort.
“For the urban component of clarity loss, the most important issue is defining directly connected impervious areas,” the Pipe Club says. “But unfortunately this concept has been ignored in the TMDL [total maximum daily load] and in the RPU [Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Regional Plan update].”
For more information, go online.
They are on to something in regards to these storm drains but a lot of content on their web page is questionable, from a science perspective. Specifically the write up on ‘Stream Realignment’.
The act of collecting data, and graphing it, is scientific. Science is more of a mentality. The content on their webpage leads me to serious question if they are more motivated by political ideologies, or by science.
I agree with Thing Fish about questioning their validity in the statements and methods of reaching conclusions. Also, Pipe Club members continue to remain anonymous. That fact makes me very skeptical of their work.
Who are these people??? I’m starting to think that it is a high school group project or something.
Anyone in the scientific community knows that transparency is am important part of any valid experiment. If you can’t stand behind your work maybe there is a reason. Are we really going to take these people seriously? Anyone can put out up a website and film water flowing out of pipes. It has already been established that impervious surfaces are a main cause of the declining clarity. If they were a reputable organization they would be affilitated with a University or an actual legimate organization (they are named after the movie “The Fight Club!”) they might be worth paying attention to. Shame on Lake Tahoe News for publishing this. This is not news, its a joke.
The information speaks for itself, so my suggestion is you read it to formulate your own thoughts.. The reason they are anonymous is because they can’t afford to be exposed, the content does not change and it appears none of you commenters understand the problem. Do u like your tax dollars being wasted to pet projects with no benefit to the lake.? Are you happy with current program? The conclusions being drawn are based on the best knowledge of industry professionals using published citations and researched information. Pipe club is not making this up… The public should be aware of abuse of public funds and mismanagement of programs. This will eventually come to light. Pipe clubs advocacy is not an experiment. To date it has had influence in thinking and to say because the group is anonymous citizens the content is not correctly portrayed, well, it could be due to the fact that you haven’t read it and don’t know the issue. A major change is needed to cost effectively save this lake. This group is attempting to force that and making people rethink, whether you believe it or not. The only ones who truly don’t like it are regulatory agencies mainly due to the fact that it points out misguided regulation. One thing is for sure, these guys have guts to stand up to the man. It’s no wonder their anonymous.
The Pipe Club members who remain anonymous do so for a good reason, and keep in mind that outspoken business owners and concerned citizens are also members of Pipe Club and are not afraid to represent a critical alternative viewpoint. And wouldn’t you want to remain anonymous if you were critiquing the organization that employs you? Like Bill said above, that takes guts.
It’s good that you are questioning though, keep an active mind about this subject.
And 1 more thing, S.J. Meyer:
Fight Club was first a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, it is a book that causes you to challenges the assumptions we take for granted in society. Isn’t Pipe Club doing the same thing for Lake Tahoe Clairty? I know the message isn’t easy to swallow, but sometimes the truth ain’t pretty. As an organization, Pipe Club knows that lake agencies can do better in addressing the connected urban watersheds, that’s what Pipe Club is aiming for.
Because Tahoe is priceless, we can all agree.
Wow all this time I thought lake clearity had to do with my dog pooping in the meadow.
I find it amusing that anonoymous posters are bagging on the pipe club for being anonoymous, ironic to say the least.