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Upper Truckee River Watershed Improvement Projects, $1,542,180
U. S. Bureau of Reclamation Grant
Grant Amount: $1,542,180
Grant Award Date: August 2002

Watershed Coordinator Program
The Upper Truckee River Watershed is the largest watershed within the Lake Tahoe Basin. The downstream reaches of the watershed include portions of the largest city in the basin, the City of South Lake Tahoe. Ecosystem degradation in the Upper Truckee River Watershed is typical of the degradation that has occurred throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Upper Truckee River has been modified from its original conditions through human activities such as logging, livestock grazing, roads, golf courses, an airport, and residential, commercial and industrial developments. The Upper Truckee River has had portions of its 21.4 miles channelized due to the construction of the City Airport and the creation of the Tahoe Keys, a neighborhood built on the former Upper Truckee Marsh. These conditions increase sediment and nutrient loads, turbidity, and velocity into Lake Tahoe, due to the loss of a natural filtering system. The California State Water Quality Control Board has listed Lake Tahoe as an impaired water body under the Clean Water Act Section 303 (d) list 5.19.94, and is currently proposing to add the Upper Truckee River onto the list for iron, phosphorus, and fecal coliform bacteria. The Upper Truckee River Watershed occupies 56.5 square miles, which is 18% of the total land area tributary to Lake Tahoe. Restoration of the Upper Truckee River Watershed is essential for reversing the decline in the clarity of beautiful Lake Tahoe.

In an effort to save the clarity of Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) developed the Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) to reach the environmental threshold goals of the Lake Tahoe Basin through pro-active management relying on community, local, State, and Federal Government support. The EIP provides a dynamic framework for the implementation of restoration projects and programs. Ongoing updates of the EIP ensure that the document stays relevant to the needs of the Tahoe Basin.

In partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the TRCD will participate in the multi-agency collaboration to implement TRPA's EIP projects on the public lands in the Tahoe Basin. Through ongoing research, priority lists for funded EIP implementation projects will be developed and updated. The Watershed Coordinator solicits funding for restoration work, tracks projects and overall progress or program goals. In addition, TRCD and NRCS assists Upper Truckee River Watershed private landowners with educational materials, implementation of residential Best Management Practices, confined animal waste management plans, beaver management, and bioengineering of riverbanks to prevent erosion and enhance riparian habitat.

The Watershed Coordinator facilitates the Upper Truckee River Focus Watershed Group (UTRFWG). The goal of the UTRFWG is "to enhance water quality in the Upper Truckee River Watershed, through a concerted effort of implementing watershed improvement projects and utilizing a Coordinated Resources Management Plan (CRMP). The Watershed Coordinator investigates UTRFWG concerns and ensures participation from major stakeholder groups, coordinates meetings, creates meeting agendas and minutes. The UTRFWG deals with all the issues of the Upper Truckee River, currently including the need for long term monitoring and protocols, and erosion control projects and implementation.

Environmental Assessment for the Upper Reach,
$428,600
The proposal includes an environmental assessment for the upper reach of the watershed. The project river reach is from the Elks Club bridge and south to the headwaters. The objectives of the environmental assessment are to provide a comprehensive overall environmental assessment of this area, develop reclamation alternatives for the river ecosystem, select the preferred alternative and provide a preliminary design along with conceptual plans for the preferred alternative. The District has entered into agreement with Swanson Hydrology and Geomorphology to complete the work, which when completed will provide a document for the purpose of seeking additional funds from the California Tahoe Conservancy, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, United States Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation and other funding sources for the environmental documentation, design, construction of the chosen reclamation alternative, construction management, and pre- and post- monitoring.

Angora Creek Stream Environment Zone Restoration Project, $910,136
A portion of the funds from the grant will be designated for the construction of the El Dorado County Angora Creek Stream Environment Zone Restoration Project. The planning and the design for the project are complete. Construction for this project will begin the spring of 2004.

Residential Best Management Practices Implementation in the Upper Truckee River Watershed,
$88,918
The BMP program promotes education and outreach programs in the Upper Truckee River watershed. The project will be in addition to the current TRCD, BMP program.

Upper Truckee River Watershed Coordinator Education and Outreach Program,
$86,846
The grant includes funding for the Watershed Coordinator's position. The Watershed Coordinator will provide assistance in coordination and management of grants, wildlife habitat management, education/outreach, and monitoring.

City of South Lake Tahoe, Upper Truckee River
Restoration Monitoring,
$42,180
Monitoring for this project is being done to see the background levels of constituents and monitor the changes and reduction of sediments from the project site downstream to Lake Tahoe. During the course of this study the City will be determining the background water quality at three different stations on the river to quantify inputs coming in above the study area monitoring and isolating three separate sections of channel to find out where the largest sources of pollutants are coming from within the project area.