SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Lahontan Water Quality Control Board voted unanimously on January 13 to approve a test of methods to tackle the growing infestation of aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys. The final approval will be needed from Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). They will hold a public hearing on January 26 and possibly take action on the methods test.
The invasive plants have been plaguing the Keys and are the most pressing ecological threat to Lake Tahoe’s health and beauty.
The Lahontan decision to approve the Tahoe Keys Lagoons Aquatic Weed Control Methods Test comes after more than seven years of planning, design, scientific analysis, and robust public input from many agencies, organizations, and the Tahoe community.
The League to Save Lake Tahoe has been involved throughout, and in efforts that predate the Control Methods Test. They have helped develop and fund innovative technologies currently implemented in the Keys. The League is a strong supporter of the Control Methods Test, relying on the best available science, results from their pilot projects, and investigations into emerging methods to guide their position.
“To Keep Tahoe Blue, we urgently need to solve the invasive species problem in the Tahoe Keys,” said CEO of the League to Save Lake Tahoe Darcie Goodman Collins, Ph.D. “[The] approval of the Tahoe Keys Control Methods Test puts us on the right path. The unanimous decision by the Lahontan board recognizes the rigorous scientific basis, innovative design, and strict environmental safeguards of the test, which were crucial to earning the League’s support.”
“For nearly a decade, the League has been a leader, working tirelessly to develop solutions, but also to find common ground for battling invasive species in the Tahoe Keys with all key stakeholders,” added Goodman. “Years of dedication from the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association, Lahontan, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and members of the community helped get us to this point, where we are poised to learn from the wide range of tools and approaches in the Control Methods Test. The League will continue to collaborate to solve the problem in the Keys and protect Tahoe’s water quality.”
“We are hopeful that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency concurs with Lahontan’s decision at their upcoming meeting, and we can set off on this three-year path to determine how to control ground zero for aquatic invasive species at Tahoe and preserve the Lake for generations to come.”
We are hopeful that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency concurs with Lahontan’s decision at their upcoming meeting, and we can set off on this three-year path to determine how to control ground zero for aquatic invasive species at Tahoe and preserve the Lake for generations to come, said Goodman.”
For more about the methods to be used, read HERE.
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Originally Appeared Here