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Call to Action: Stop the Tahoe Keys' Proposal to Use Herbicides in Lake Tahoe
Please tell the Lahontan Waterboard to put a stop to the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) proposal to put chemicals into the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe!
Ask any person who has sprayed chemicals on their lawns to get rid of weeds and they will tell you it's an ongoing battle, the same is true with aquatic herbicides used in lakes. The TKPOA uses language that suggests the use will be a one-time event, but it's a slippery slope and their own scientist admits that the seeds will continue to sprout for years to come. Big Bear Lake has been applying herbicides and using mechanical harvesters annually for 16 years. They deem the program a success because they have reduced the weeds from their highest point and are maintaining a lower amount of weeds. However, anyone who has swam in Big Bear Lake over the same period of time will tell you that the weeds are still a HUGE problem that continues to regularly contribute to drowning deaths.
To effectively manage and rid an area of weeds, you have to get to the root of the problem both literally and figuratively. The TKPOA plan does not get to the root of the problem. The fact that it is being considered at all, is astounding because Lake Tahoe is a Tier 3 Outstanding National Resource Water and many people in our region get their drinking water directly from the lake.
This plan is especially distasteful to considering other areas of Lake Tahoe, such as Emerald Bay, have been able to effectively control milfoil through non-chemical methods as well as the recent success of the UV Light Boat that has been eradicating weeds in Lakeside Marina.
For more information about the proposal and instructions for submitting comments visit:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/npdes/pesticides/wee...
(it is the last item under the heading Notice of Intents (NOI)
Comments are due by NOON PST on August 31, 2018