If you’ve been anywhere near North Tahoe Beach the past two summers, you’ve likely seen it. You may have even clambered aboard. The beached vessel has gently bobbed in the waters of Lake Tahoe since at least June 2021. After readers and Moonshine staff members asked what the deal with the boat was, we went to the folks who knew the answer.
Meanwhile, on the eastern edges of downtown Truckee, there’s a giant hole in the earth and a whole lot of construction equipment. The Town of Truckee was happy to fill us in on what gives.
~ AH
A boat off North Tahoe Beach across from the Safeway in Kings Beach has been beached for at least a year. Is anything being done to remove it?
The proposed scope of work to remove the vessel has been accepted by the Lahontan water board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the State Lands Commission. None of these agencies are requiring permits to conduct the work. The United States Army Corp of Engineers, on the other hand, is requiring … the owner to apply for coverage under the Regional General Permit 8 – Emergency Repair and Protection Activities. The permit requires reporting to the USACE to confirm that all terms and conditions have been met and no impacts to a water of the United States have occurred. Lahontan water board staff will be onsite during the entire process to verify no unauthorized release has occurred and the site is restored to pre-project conditions.
The other agencies involved, including the Lahontan water board, have declared removal of the vessel an emergency and is exempting the activities from obtaining any permits at this time.
I am working with the vessel owner to complete the application. The intent is to have the vessel removed by Oct. 15. If the owner does not comply, we will be referring him to the [State Water Resources Control Board’s] Office of Enforcement for formal enforcement including Administrative Civil Liability (aka fines).
I know the sailboat has been there since at least June 2021.
~ Kerri O’Keefe, engineering geologist, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board
Is the boat causing any health or safety concerns for the lake or recreationists?
There are no safety concerns observed at this time. The vessel appears to have most of the equipment removed and based on the location of the vessel, there is currently no impact to navigation.
~ SondraKay Kneen, LT, District 11 public affairs officer, U.S. Coast Guard
What’s going on with all the construction work by the Truckee Railyard?
Summer projects are in full force for the Town of Truckee! One of those projects is the large hole in the ground that has been dug south of Glenshire Drive just east of downtown Truckee, which is beginning to look a lot like a newly restored creek floodplain. The project, known as Church Street Extension and Trout Creek Restoration Reaches 4 and 5 Project (admittedly one of the more long-winded project names around), will provide a second access route into downtown from Glenshire Drive and will improve overall circulation in the area. The creek restoration piece of the project will improve the ecological value of the creek and is designed to accommodate 100-year flood events. Creek restoration funds include one grant from the California Department of Water Resources for $1 million and another from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for $2.31 million.
One key component of the project associated with both the roadway and the creek restoration, which can be seen from Glenshire Drive right now, is the arch culvert with wingwalls (fancy name for the big gray structure in the middle of the hole dug in the ground) that consists of 20 pre-cast concrete pieces that were individually placed. This bridge structure will ultimately help connect Glenshire Drive to Downtown Truckee by way of supporting the Church Street extension leg of the roundabout.
The restoration of Reaches 4 and 5 of Trout Creek is planned for completion October 2022, with the new roadway (an extension of existing Church Street) connecting Church Street with Glenshire Drive following the creek work late fall 2022/early spring 2023, and a roundabout at the new Church Street extension/Glenshire Drive intersection to be constructed summer 2023.
If you have further questions about the project, please reach out to Scott Mathot, Town of Truckee’s senior engineer and project manager, for more information at smathot@townoftruckee.com or (530) 582-2481.
~ Scott Mathot, senior engineer, Town of Truckee
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