TAHOE, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) – A multi-year initiative to restore wetlands in the Truckee area has been completed.
The project, which began three years ago, has already restored hundreds of acres of wetland ecosystems and built a new route to access the lake’s shores.
“As the largest wetland restoration project in the Lake Tahoe Basin, this is a remarkable accomplishment,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “Restoring this wetland will help keep Tahoe waters clean, provide great habitat for fish and wildlife, and be one more beautiful place we can all visit.”
The project’s key features include:
- When river levels are high, new stream channels in the Marsh will reroute part of the Upper Truckee River’s water. The canals brought water to more than 200 acres of marsh that had been dry for decades after developers straightened the river.
- 12 acres of fresh wetlands replace a region that developers excavated and filled in the 1950s and 1960s for an unfinished condominium development. During high floods, the river will spread out over 70,000 new wetland plants. These artificial wetlands will offer crucial animal habitat and filter pollutants before they enter Lake Tahoe.
- A new route to Lake Tahoe with a cemented, unpaved surface that borders the 12 acres of new wetlands. The completely accessible shared-use route extends roughly a half mile from the east end of Venice Drive to a beach on the Lake.
According to the California Tahoe Conservancy, the project was aimed to enhance wildlife, enable equal public access, and give resistance to climate change.
The Conservancy said it plans to return in the future for more restoration work.
Credits: KoloTv
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