Below the Blue Keeps Tahoe Clean … for You!

Lake Tahoe North Shore

Lake Tahoe North Shore

Throughout the great Lake Tahoe Basin, there are endless ways to enjoy the pristine waters that make our lake so famous.  But what about the Lake bottom?

Thanks to the efforts of “Below the Blue” the debris that flys off boats or are tossed into the lake does not exist like it used to.

This past week there was an excellent press release from the Tahoe Regional Planning agencies about “Below the Blue’s” efforts to clean up the lake, from its lakebed.  Here are some highlights that we thought you would enjoy reading today as posted on CarsonNow.com.

Monique Rydel-Fortner and Seth Jones have seen more of what lies underwater at Lake Tahoe than most. Unfortunately, that includes trash and lots of it — from drones, car batteries and sunken boats, to plate glass windows and enormous sheets of metal siding.

For more than a decade, the SCUBA divers and co-founders of the Tahoe-based nonprofit Below the Blue have removed more than 100,000 pounds of foreign objects from the Lake. Over countless dives, one source of submarine trash stands out as persistent but preventable — debris from shoreline building projects.

In cooperation with the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the underwater environmentalists are working to stop the illicit practice of using Lake Tahoe as a construction site dumpster.

As noted by the co-founder of Below the Blue, Seth Jones said: “Out of sight is not out of mind.”

And our architect firm in Lake Tahoe completely agrees.

Sure, we have probably dropped our sunglasses off a pier yet to see the junk that they collect on an annual basis is just makes you think: “What were they thinking?”

Unloaded any unwanted items into the Lake is not only ‘not right,” it’s illegal.  Steve Sweet, who is the Compliance Code Program Manager at TRPA said it best:

“Discarding material of any kind in Lake Tahoe is illegal and violates the high standard of environmental stewardship in this community. Strengthening the requirements for shoreline construction permits will eliminate these careless and environmentally harmful practices to better protect Lake Tahoe.”

With Earth Day around the corner, we encourage you all to get involved in the variety of initiatives underway to keep Tahoe blue this year, and in years to come.   Click into South Tahoe Earth Day to learn more about where and when you can chip in to help in a small or significant way.

Jim Borelli - Borelli Architecture Lake Tahoe Carson City Truckee

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Lake Tahoe / Truckee
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060

What are BMP’s, and Why Are They Part of Tahoe’s Home Building Requirements?

Meeks Bay Architect BMPs Lake Tahoe

Meeks Bay Architect BMPs Lake Tahoe

For over 30 years, our architect firm has been designing lakefront and mountain homes that are situated with the Lake Tahoe Basin. And every year, our clients enquire about “BMP’s” which are defined as “Best Management Practices,” which are required as part of the home building (and selling) process.

With the building season around the corner, we thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this news article to this popular question.

BMP’s were created as part of the region’s quest to protect the Lake Tahoe Watershed that feeds into Lake Tahoe. As stated on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agencies’ (TRPA) website, here is the simple definition:

Best Management Practices, also known as BMPs, capture and infiltrate stormwater and stabilize soil to prevent erosion. This simulates pre-development conditions when precipitation would soak into the ground and be filtered by the soil, rather than running over impervious surfaces (like roofs and roads), collecting pollutants such as sediment and nutrients as it travels, and ultimately ending up in Lake Tahoe. Research proves that implementing BMPs on existing development is a critical step toward improving Lake Tahoe’s water quality and clarity.

The ideal end result is to ensure future generations continue to enjoy the pristine water within Lake Tahoe.

Whether our team at Borelli Architecture is designing homes, or commercial buildings, within the Tahoe basin, we will work with our partners to ensure the project includes the installation of BMP’s according to the TRPA requirements. Once the property has been reviewed and approved by a team member of the TRPA, the property owner will receive a BMP Certificate. At that point, it’s the owner’s responsibility to continue to maintain the land that surrounds their home or commercial establishment.

Examples of BMP’s for Your Home

There are some good resources available that have been written and published by the TRPA. Within this link, you will find an easy-to-read document that details some of the more common practices to prevent sediment and unwanted nutrients from entering our watershed.

It includes:

  • Paving dirt driveways
  • Installing drain rock under gutters and roof lines
  • Building retaining walls on steeper slopes
  • Vegetating and mulching open soil

For information, visit www.tahoebmp.org or call the BMP hotline at (775) 589-5202.

Or, feel free to contact our team. As part of our personal design services at Lake Tahoe, Borelli Architecture also offers the following assistance:

  • Custom Interior Design
  • Site Planning
  • Space Planning
  • Permit Processing Assistance
  • TRPA Feasibility Studies
  • Contractor Selection and Bidding Assistance
  • Construction Administration Services

Finally, if you are thinking about building a home within the Lake Tahoe basin, now is the time to get started. Connect with us now for your complimentary consultation.

Jim Borelli - Borelli Architecture Lake Tahoe Carson City Truckee

James P. Borelli
Founder/Principal
Borelli Architecture
Lake Tahoe / Truckee
jim@borelliarchitecture.com
775.831.3060