Tahoe agency fines boat rental company $30,000 for mooring at illegal buoys

Lake Tahoe authorities are cracking down on illegal buoys. In April, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) settled with a boat rental company in South Lake Tahoe for $30,000. The company, Specialty Boat Rentals, was found in violation of TRPA code for leaving several boats attached to illegal buoys overnight and for operating without a concession permit.

And last year, in May, the TRPA settled with Action Water Sports, another boat rental company, and the Hyatt Regency for $90,000 over 10 illegal buoys on the water in Incline Village. | VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE | Lake Tahoe officials stress water safety after record deadly summer Why are illicit, unpermitted buoys such a big deal in Lake Tahoe? It’s a long story that starts more than three decades ago, in 1987. Even back in the 1980s, Lake Tahoe’s piers and buoys were controversial.

In 1987, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency — a bi-state organization whose mission is to “preserve, restore and enhance” the environment at Lake Tahoe — published its first regional plan, a sweeping document that would guide the future of Tahoe. In the shoreline chapter, however, the agency said research was incomplete about the impact of piers and buoys on fish populations and habitat. So any decision about shoreline development was halted until more research could be done, leaving any resolution on the table.

Several years later, in the early 1990s, TRPA staff came back and, citing research that showed piers and buoys had a “limited effect” on fish populations, the agency attempted to pass a new shoreline plan that would guide development of piers and buoys, among other water structures. No such luck. By then, polarization between development and environmental preservation had solidified, and despite the TRPA’s many attempts to pass a shoreline plan — in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2008 — each version was stymied by a lack of consensus and litigation.

In each case, “controversy centered around fisheries, scenic quality, air quality, water quality, recreation and other topics that prevented adoption and implementation of a shoreline plan,” according to the TRPA . A breakthrough finally came in 2016, when the TRPA hired a third-party mediator to come in, get everyone together and find consensus. After many conversations and meetings, the shoreline plan was finally adopted in 2018.

After 30 years of debate, the agency lifted the moratorium over new development on Lake Tahoe’s waters. Among its many components, the shoreline plan sets caps and regulations for piers, boat slips, public boat ramps and yes, buoys. Today, buoys must be permitted and registered.

Mostly, the agency enforces its regulations through education and warnings; however, penalties for docking a boat to an illegal buoy, especially if a business is involved, are high. On Aug. 21, 2020, TRPA staff responded to a complaint about illegal buoys near the Hyatt in Incline Village.

An inspection found that 10 moorings, used by Action Water Sports, were not authorized. The TRPA issued a cease-and-desist notice, requiring the removal of all 10 moorings. Two and a half weeks later, on Sept.

8, Action Water Sports had removed three of the 10 moorings. All 10 were removed by Sept. 22.

Action Water Sports “made these decisions with clear knowledge of TRPA rules and regulations and persisted in this unauthorized activity for an additional three weeks after receiving the first Cease and Desist Notice,” according to a TRPA staff report. In May 2021, the TRPA governing board, Action Water Sports and the Hyatt agreed on a settlement, including a $90,000 penalty for operating illegal buoys. A year later, the TRPA cited another boat rental company for using illegal buoys.

This time, the agency settled with Specialty Boat Rentals for $30,000 for mooring near Regan Beach and operating a concession without permits. “Unauthorized moorings are unsafe, negatively impact Tahoe’s shoreline, and unjustly limit the careful plan for public access and recreation,” TRPA executive director Joanne Marchetta said in a statement . “Our shoreline program and the compliance measures that go with it are working.

The Governing Board’s approval of the violation settlement encourages others to follow the application process. ”.