January on course to be record dry month
Two pilings of the Tahoe Keys pier remain in the water. Photo/Kathryn Reed
By Kathryn Reed
January is destined to be a record for the weather books. And it might be for some companies in the Lake Tahoe Basin, too.
No snow means no money for many businesses, which in turn means no paycheck or a smaller one because of reduced hours for employees. And with locals not making money, it then means less being spent throughout town.
For the first 20 days of the month the city has recorded a trace of moisture, according to the National Weather Service in Reno. The driest January was in 2003 when 0.03 inches fell.
Tahoe City hasn’t recorded any wet stuff this month. The record low precip for January was in 1991 with 0.08 inches.
It is the water equivalency that the Weather Service measures.
If the storm that is on the horizon for Jan. 27-28 materializes, this January may not be a record. But it will still likely be one of the worst on record.
Rain is what is being predicted for 8,500 feet and below. That means water on most of the already sketchy ski slopes.
For consecutive seasons Tahoe area resorts have been unable to open all of their terrain. This means not being fully staffed. And now hours are being cut. Tahoe Donner Cross Country, Dodge Ridge, Donner Ski Ranch, and Badger Pass have closed in the last week. That could change if Mother Nature comes through.
The only snowmen in Tahoe right now are inflatable, like this one at Tulare Avenue and Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Toogee Sielsch
Tennis nets are back up in some places. Bikes were never put away for the season.
Vacancy signs were the norm last weekend – a three-day weekend that in the past often had lodging properties full.
While last summer was good for so many businesses in and around Tahoe, the same may not hold true for 2015. If snow, rain, and runoff don’t fill Lake Tahoe, the boating season could be over before it starts. It’s hard for most boats – except human powered – to access most of the marinas.
Tahoe Keys Marina owners have not taken out a dredging permit. It’s up to Aramark – operators of the Tahoe Queen – to dredge the Ski Run Marina. No permit has been sought and the Queen is not operating because of the low water level.
While there are plenty of things to do besides be on the lake in the summer, it is a big draw.
The only benefit of the low lake level may be larger beaches to accommodate more people. But one beach this month became off limits. Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association has put a fence up so only homeowners can access the sand and pier.
It’s going to be near beach-like weather this weekend.
Other records being set are for heat. It was 58 degrees in South Lake Tahoe on Jan. 18 – a record. The previous high was 57 in 1985. Another record may be set this Sunday where the forecasted high is for 62 degrees. The previous high was 57 in 1982.
Tahoe City on Jan. 25 may break the 1984 record of 51 degrees.
“It just continues to be mild and dry,” Jessica Kielhorn, meteorologist technician in Reno, told Lake Tahoe News.
I thought above high water line was private property and below was public. If that is so, how can the keys put up a fence?
Correct me if I’m wrong but it is against the law to restrict access to the beach below the high water mark. As the lake goes down and reveals more beach you can not just put up a fence and call it yours. And I’m curious did Tahoe Keys Association pull a permit for this new beach fence
That’s not a fence. It’s the pier near their office, and it’s been there for YEARS.
Marc, From what I’ve seen over the years, the Tahoe Keys can do whatever they want from its very inception. So if they put up a fence to prohibit public accses, there’s no one there to enforce it. It’s just another illegal land grab!
If the Keys Marina leaks raw sewage into the lake, there’s no clean up, no fines or penalties. When the owner of the Keys marina takes over state owned land without buying it and grades it, without permission from local agencies, or permits (because he does not own the land) and then proceed turn it into turn a dirt parking lot for the marina, without holding title to the property. Same thing. No fines, no arrests, no charges.
So now it’s become quite obvious. Just do whatever you want as long as you have enough money and pay the right people, cuz’ you aint gonna get caught!
Have a nice day, fellow peons, as we are all being peed upon. Old Long Skiis
After almost a year of messing around the Keys homeowners west channel dredging is on hold again, they suddenly realized due to the cost it has to go out for a vote of the homeowners. $1.6 million, $1,000 a home just for the channel entrance, nothing inside. The point may have been reached where it has simply become too expensive and cost prohibitive to try to circumvent Mother Nature. Fortune tellers and snow dances may be a better solution.
I think we need to all organize a little trip down to the newly claimed beach front property in large numbers and see want happens when we enjoy this beautiful yet low lake. If we can’t get our boats in the water and everybody starts putting up fences what do we have left. We need to nix this &%$# before it gets any worse.
I do not believe the keys homeowners have put up a fence below the high water mark. The bigger question is how to access the beach below high water. The Tahoe Keys marina channel and homeowners channel cut off access to that section of beach. Unfortunately, public access in the form of a walking bridge over these channels was never provided. That leaves the section of beach between Pope Beach and the homeowners channel. There is a channel that drains Pope Marsh but it usually dries up before summer (the marsh can stay wet well into summer on an average precip. year). If the channel has water, then Venice (west side) would be the most likely point of entry but I’m not sure who owns the portion of marsh adjacent to Venice. There is higher ground immediately adjacent to Venice that might not be under water when the marsh is full. Of course with the marsh dry access to this section of beach is relatively easy with a 1/4 mile walk. However, there is a metal fence along a portion of Venice in this area that seems to be stating that public access is not allowed (no signs though). So, if this portion of the marsh is public, it can be added to a host of other areas in the city that have public access rights but the city and other public agencies have not tried to formalize with signage and/or improvements.
Yes! SeaMoore, my sentiment exactly. Name a time and meeting place and let’s march out there and see how long it takes for the SLTPD to remove us for using what we are allowed to, by law.
The good news is that if the channel no longer is open to the lake we may have a small chance of reducing the water milfoil that thrives and spreads from the Keys into every marina, bay and beach at Tahoe. It should have been sealed off years ago.
Hey, what a winter ‘eh!
I believe the “beach” access in California is much different then in Nevada.
California allows public access between high and low water mark on any shoreline; Nevada allows no such public access except on public lands.
January to be the driest on record. Yep. I been here many January’s but never seen nothin’ like this! As we move into spring and summer with near empty resavoirs down stream, it doesn’t look good for many of those folks. Agriculture, Livestock ranchers and just the regular city folk that want to drink some tap water are gonna be heavily restricted.
With many marinas having little if any accsess to the lake will hurt us here on the local level, with less guests coming to town and with reduced hours for our local workers and less spending at our local businesses.
The rock group, Traffic, popular in the late 60’s and 70’s, had a song out called “Rain Maker”. I think of that song everyday as of late. OLS
I see Tahoe being really busy this summer and going forward. People will find the water here and do other water sports such as jet skiing, SUP, swimming, kayaking and small watercraft use. We are fortunate that Tahoe will not run out of water.
Looks like we might get a break from the June-uary in a few days… with fingers crossed.