Lead cables will be removed from Lake Tahoe
AT&T will pull the cables in coordination with the League
The League’s staff and board are pleased to announce that eight miles of defunct, lead-sheathed telecommunication cables will be removed from Lake Tahoe by AT&T in coordination with our team at the League. In a joint press release from this morning, AT&T recommitted to remove the cables now that they’ve settled a lawsuit dating back to 2021.
This is an important milestone in our mission to Keep Tahoe Blue – one we’ve been working toward behind the scenes for the past three years. We accelerated the permitting process for the removal operation through our contacts at federal, state, and local agencies; commissioned a survey to map the cables; and helped secure a staging area for the equipment needed for the operation. We’ve also been in contact along the way with AT&T and their environmental consultants to push the project forward. Some of our most important work to protect the Lake happens behind the scenes, as it did here.
This is a moment worth sharing, but it is not the finish line. The League will remain closely involved every step of the way, just as we have since learning about the cables, to ensure AT&T fulfills their legally binding commitment to remove the cables safely and quickly.
Our shared goal with the company is to remove the cables by the end of this year. If weather or legal procedure stand in the way, then we’ll make sure the job is completed as early as possible in 2025.
Thank you to Marine Taxonomic Services and Below the Blue for bringing this issue to light. Thanks as well to other community members and groups, like Tahoe Lead, who came together to push for removal.
Lake Tahoe is a special and fragile place. There is no room for eight miles of unused cables in its blue waters.
Your support makes important work like this possible. Thank you for sharing and supporting our mission to Keep Tahoe Blue.
