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#KeepTahoeBlue
I am fighting to pass the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation that reauthorizes $415 million in funding to reduce the threat of wildfire, as well as to combat invasive species, improve the water clarity of Lake Tahoe, and restore the environment and ecosystem in the Basin. As a cosponsor of this bill, I urge the House to pass this bipartisan legislation to provide crucial federal support for projects that will keep Tahoe clean, blue, and accessible for future generations. #KeepTahoeBlue
Click here to view my December 2023 op-ed on Keeping Tahoe Blue! I also spoke at the 2023 Lake Tahoe Summit to share my support for bipartisan solutions to keep Tahoe clean and safe. Click here to view my remarks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4boVd4jjy8
I was honored to host Team Tahoe in March during their visit to Washington, D.C. Watch my press conference with Team Tahoe below!
In last year’s appropriations process, I supported the South Tahoe Public Utility District for Enhancing the Resilience of Critical Water Infrastructure Project. We secured $1,000,000 to replace deteriorating waterlines, improve infrastructure, and install new fire hydrants. This project would benefit the community by improving water quality, enhancing fire protection capabilities, and providing reliable access to clean drinking water, particularly for disadvantaged neighborhoods in South Lake Tahoe, a high-risk wildfire area.
Touring the South Tahoe PUD water storage and treatment facility in September 2023.
“The Board of Director’s of the South Tahoe Public Utility District, and myself would like to thank Congressman Kiley for his unwavering support to upsize water infrastructure to help fight fire in the Tahoe Basin. The $1 million of federal funding will install fire hydrants and waterline along Pioneer Trail to protect South Lake Tahoe from wildfire. Thank you for the continued support,” said Paul Hughes, South Tahoe Public Utility District General Manager.
I also secured $1.25 million for North Tahoe Public Utility District’s Kings Beach Drinking Water and Fire Suppression Improvement Project. This project is to replace old and undersized water pipes, install new fire hydrants, and improve water supply for fire suppression in the Kings Beach community of Lake Tahoe. This project benefits the community by improving fire-resilient infrastructure, ensuring adequate water supply for wildfire suppression, and safeguarding the lives and properties of residents and seasonal tourists in the Lake Tahoe area.
“This important federal funding gets us one step closer to ensuring that there is a fire hydrant on every neighborhood street and we have reliable water supplies to defend our community against the threat of catastrophic wildfire,” said Sarah Coolidge, President of the Board of Directors of the North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD).
“We sincerely appreciate Congressman Kiley’s commitment to bring federal funding to action to protect the communities of Lake Tahoe,” added Bradley A. Johnson, P.E., NTPUD General Manager. “Upgrading our region’s aging water infrastructure is a critical component of our collaborative strategy to ensure a fire-resilient future for Lake Tahoe. These dollars allow us to accelerate shovel-ready projects that have been awaiting full funding and are designed, engineered, and ready to go.”
Additionally, I have been working with Lake Tahoe law enforcement to ensure they have the resources they need to keep our communities safe. Last year, we were able to secure $468,000 for the Town of Truckee Law Enforcement Land Mobile Radio Funding Project. The purpose of this project is to upgrade the Truckee Police Department’s radios to tri-band radios. This project would benefit the community by upgrading the Truckee Police Department’s radios to state-of-the-art systems that improve interoperability, coordination, and communication with various local, state, and federal agencies. This will enhance response capabilities, first responder safety, and overall public safety, particularly in the event of major wildfires or other emergencies.
I recently met with Police Chief Danny Renfrow to learn about how the radios allow an officer to speak with CalFire and other emergency responders simultaneously, leading to faster response times and greater safety for first responders and the public alike. Particularly in the event of major wildfires or other emergencies, these new radios will greatly assist our officers in making the community safer.
“There is a critical need to upgrade the Police Department’s handheld and vehicle radios to stay current with the best safety practices by employing the latest technology available,” said Truckee Mayor Dave Polivy. “Without these funds, the ability to acquire the latest technology in radios likely would have taken many years, leaving police officers and others at even more risk in their jobs,” he continued.
In the most recent House Appropriations process, I was able to secure $1,000,000 the Lake Tahoe Boulevard Apartments will be 100% affordable mixed-income residential project with an affordability term of 55 years, a ground floor commercial component consistent with the Tourist Core Area Plan mixed use goals. This project is anticipated to have 70 units of affordable housing, live work units, indoor and outdoor common space.
Also in South Lake Tahoe, we were able to secure an additional $1,000,000 for the Park Avenue Waterline project which will enhance the resilience of critical water infrastructure in a disadvantaged community by improving water quality, increasing service, and increasing water pressure to reduce the threat of wildfire and protect the community of South Lake Tahoe. Replacing 2,000 feet of existing 2-inch and 6-inch deteriorating watermains with larger watermains and installing new fire hydrants will ensure the tourist core and multi-family housing has reliable and safe drinking water supply and fire flow.
I also secured $1.25 million for Tahoe City Public Utility’s project to completely replace the original 1940’s infrastructure of the Madden Creek Water System (MCWS). Replacing all existing water mains with new 8-12” diameter mains will increase the system’s capacity and reliability to provide drinking water and improve pressure and flow rates critical for fire suppression. Having these improved water lines in the region will help us fight future fires and emergencies.
The programmatic requests for the Lake Tahoe Region that Rep. Kiley secured in the FY25 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill include:
Municipal Water Infrastructure for Critical Fires Suppression
We secured $10,000,000 to support local government efforts to mitigate wildfire risk through improvements to municipal water infrastructure for critical fire suppression projects. Projects may include the installation of high-capacity water storage tanks, accelerated replacement of undersized waterlines and fire hydrant installation, and emergency generators, all with a direct nexus to improving firefighting capacity to wildfire. The acceleration of water infrastructure projects for fire suppression is a de facto insurance policy to protect Lake Tahoe’s water clarity, reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and safeguard the environment of the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Stormwater Management, Erosion, Watershed Restoration
Protected federal funding as the EPA has identified Lake Tahoe as a priority watershed, not only because of its iconic beauty and crystal-clear waters but because of the human-related impacts that threaten those very qualities. Measuring Tahoe’s clarity has been a priority for more than 50 years, which has seen a long-term trend of improvement since 2000 due to investments made by Nevada and California, localities and the federal government. Last year was a low clarity year, attributed by record wet weather that washed sediments in the Lake that accumulated over the previous five years of drought. With weather patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable with periods of drought and record wet weather, work in watershed restoration and erosion control is critical for the Basin to maintain previous investments and bolster the Lake in the face of extreme weather.
Invasive Species Prevention
Secured $6,000,000 in removing invasive species. Ranked alongside forest health, removing aquatic invasive species (AIS) from Lake Tahoe, along with preventing other invasive species from establishing a foothold in the basin, is one of the region’s highest funding priorities. Federal funding has helped implement a prevention program consisting of mandatory boat inspection and decontamination stations, successful Asian clam pilot eradication projects, invasive plant control projects, and the creation of an early detection and rapid response program. The Alpine Lakes program would allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enhance the state and local efforts to protect Lake Tahoe from aquatic invasive species.
Aquatic Invasive Species Management
Secured $5,000,000 in federal funding has helped implement a prevention program consisting of mandatory boat inspection and decontamination stations, successful Asian clam pilot eradication projects, invasive plant control projects, and the creation of an early detection and rapid response program. This funding allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to match the states’ efforts to protect Lake Tahoe from aquatic invasive species.
Hazard Fuels
Protected federal funding for fuel management projects. The Caldor Fire and continued drought in the West has left 147 million dead trees in California. This massive death of vegetation has resulted in an increased wildfire risk and the probability of wildfires which do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. While progress is occurring, it isn’t happening fast enough. As one of the greatest threats facing the basin, fuels management projects help protect not only the federal forest land for continued recreational use, but the economy of Lake Tahoe that relies on these activities.