Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 8, 2009
3. Watersheds –
Lake above Tahoe to stay drained amid safety fears
Fairfield Daily Republic
Volunteers sought to build Shasta Trinity Trail portion
Sacramento Bee
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Lake above Tahoe to stay drained amid safety fears
Fairfield Daily Republic-7/7/09
A small lake overlooking Lake Tahoe that the U.S. Forest Service bought as part of a $46 million land deal will remain drained because of concerns about the safety of a dam, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
Incline Lake near the summit of Mount Rose southwest of Reno was once the playground of some of Nevada's wealthiest residents.
The lake is located on a 750-acre parcel the Forest Service bought last July. But experts have since decided a dam built in 1942 is unstable and could fail in an earthquake, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.
The property remains open to the public, but it's just a sandy stretch of dry land studded with shallow pools, said Rex Norman, spokesman for the Lake Tahoe Basin unit of the Forest Service.
He said it likely will take a year or more to come up with a restoration plan, and it's possible it will never happen because there's still a dispute over some details of the sale.
The former owner, Incline Lake Corp., maintains the property is worth $75 million. Whether it's entitled to more than the $46 million already paid will be determined in U.S. District Court in Reno.
Dam reconstruction money is being held in reserve until the Forest Service decides what to do with the property, Norman said. And it won't initiate that process until the federal court determines the land value, he said.
“That will be part of the discussion. Shall we keep it, remove it, or something in between?” Norman said.
Since the lake was established with the dam's construction more than 65 years ago, the exclusive enclave atop the Sierra was visited by the likes of philanthropist and dairy king Max Fleischmann, longtime U.S. Sen. Patrick McCarran and Moya Lear, philanthropist and widow of Bill Lear, creator of the Lear jet.
The Forest Service required the corporation to drain the lake last summer, at the same time it was tearing down lakeside cabins. The agency kept the dam open over the winter and the snow melt was allowed to run down Third Creek in Incline Village, keeping the lake dry.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., secured more than $5 million through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act to rebuild the dam. The act also was used to raise the $46 million to buy Incline Lake.
Glen Williams of Terra Firma Associates, representing Incline Lake Corp., said the court proceedings are “immensely complex,” and the government and corporation are exchanging and rebutting evidence and expert reports on land appraisals, water rights, zoning and other issues.
The trial probably won't start until spring, Williams said. Whether the lake is fully restored may well come down to the desires of the public, he said.
“The desire for the Forest Service to acquire the property in the first place was for the lake and its recreational opportunities,” Williams said. “Are there compelling reasons for the lake to be there? Are there compelling reasons for it not to be?”
Hiking in the area Monday, South Lake Tahoe resident Karin Manfredi said the land should be restored to its natural condition absent a dam and artificial lake.
“They should let it be what it was supposed to be,” said Manfredi, 39. “They should let it do what it wants to do.”#
http://search.dailyrepublic.com/display.php?id=1543
Volunteers sought to build Shasta Trinity Trail portion
Sacramento Bee-7/8/09
Park rangers are hosting a Volunteer Trail Day Friday to help construct a portion of the new Shasta Trinity Trail within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
Adults, and teenagers with a parent or guardian, will join college students who are spending their summer building the trail that eventually will link the Sundial Bridge in Redding to the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area.
Participants will meet at 8:30 a.m. at Whiskeytown visitor center, carpool to the trailhead and hike about 1 1/2 miles to the work site, said Clinton Kane, park spokesman. They should wear gloves and sturdy work boots, and bring water and a snack. Rangers will supply tools and additional water.
Volunteers must register for the event by calling (530) 242-3410 no later than 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Whiskeytown is approximately eight miles west of Redding on Highway 299W.#
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2008593.html
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