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TAHOE CITY, Calif. — Large boulders will block off an unauthorized boat launch at the end of Grand Avenue in Tahoe Pines beginning Friday at the request of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
TRPA requires that all watercraft and trailers launched into Lake Tahoe be inspected for aquatic invasive species. Unless there is an inspector present to check all watercraft and trailers the owner of any boat launch into Lake Tahoe must close the launch according to TRPA. Placer County, which owns the beach, does not staff inspectors at the site.
“There have been places around the lake in the same position but this one was obvious,” said TRPA Spokeswoman Julie Regan. “Boats getting into Lake Tahoe without inspections pose a great risk to the lake when it comes to aquatic invasive species.”
Placer County, which announced the closing of the beach to boaters on Thursday afternoon, does not have the funding or the staffing to man the facility, said Jennifer Merchant, manager of Tahoe operations in Placer County.
“It's important to us to keep the mussels and milfoil out of the lake, so we were happy to comply with the TRPA's request,” Merchant said.
There was a boat launch at one point at the site on Lake Tahoe's West Shore. However, it fell into disrepair a number of years ago, and remnants of that structure do not meet the requirements for use as a launch, Regan said.
Because boats are now launched at this site across the beach, the site does not have best management practices in place. A lack of BMPs can contribute to declining water quality in the lake.
“It wasn't a managed facility,” Regan said. “If the county wanted to operate it as a public facility, it would have to meet erosion standards and BMPs.”
The beach is still open to the public. Kayaks and other small watercraft can still be carried across the beach and launched by hand. Placer County reminds boaters that there are numerous boat launches around the lake that have inspectors present to check all trailer-launched watercraft for invasive species. These inspections will keep unwanted aquatic life out of the lake and improve its health.
TRPA requires that all watercraft and trailers launched into Lake Tahoe be inspected for aquatic invasive species. Unless there is an inspector present to check all watercraft and trailers the owner of any boat launch into Lake Tahoe must close the launch according to TRPA. Placer County, which owns the beach, does not staff inspectors at the site.
“There have been places around the lake in the same position but this one was obvious,” said TRPA Spokeswoman Julie Regan. “Boats getting into Lake Tahoe without inspections pose a great risk to the lake when it comes to aquatic invasive species.”
Placer County, which announced the closing of the beach to boaters on Thursday afternoon, does not have the funding or the staffing to man the facility, said Jennifer Merchant, manager of Tahoe operations in Placer County.
“It's important to us to keep the mussels and milfoil out of the lake, so we were happy to comply with the TRPA's request,” Merchant said.
There was a boat launch at one point at the site on Lake Tahoe's West Shore. However, it fell into disrepair a number of years ago, and remnants of that structure do not meet the requirements for use as a launch, Regan said.
Because boats are now launched at this site across the beach, the site does not have best management practices in place. A lack of BMPs can contribute to declining water quality in the lake.
“It wasn't a managed facility,” Regan said. “If the county wanted to operate it as a public facility, it would have to meet erosion standards and BMPs.”
The beach is still open to the public. Kayaks and other small watercraft can still be carried across the beach and launched by hand. Placer County reminds boaters that there are numerous boat launches around the lake that have inspectors present to check all trailer-launched watercraft for invasive species. These inspections will keep unwanted aquatic life out of the lake and improve its health.
