While the anticipated new draft of TRPA’s shorezone plan has yet to be publicly unveiled, every version that has emerged over the years has contemplated a huge increase in the number of boats on the lake. Thousands of new buoys and hundreds of new boat slips and piers have been consistent features of each plan endorsed by the agency’s staff.
Fortunately, the Chairman of California’s State Lands Commission, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, has taken action to inject both realism and environmental protection back into the shorezone planning process. The League is optimistic now that we will see the emergence of a more moderate plan that emphasizes illegal buoy control and limits the development of new boating infrastructure to levels that will assure that water pollution and shoreline noise impacts can be managed.
Of course “the devil is the details” when it comes to environmental planning. Will the mitigation plan assure that water pollution is reduced? How will noisy boats be handled? Will the risk of invasive species introductions rise or fall under the plan? Will scenic vistas be adequately protected? The League to Save Lake Tahoe will be studying the details of the next iteration of the plan as they become publicly available. We will continue to advocate for strong protection for the environment, especially for scientifically validated water quality measures as contemplated in the Tahoe TMDL process. We will insist that the quality of recreational experiences, not just their quantity, be taken into account.
We will also strive to keep you informed as materials on the latest proposal become publicly available. Check our site often for the latest information. If you’d like to voice your concerns to the TRPA about new development in the shorezone, click here to email your comments
