South Lake Tahoe, Calif.  –The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in collaboration with the California Tahoe Conservancy will begin work on the Upper Truckee River Reach 5 Restoration Project on Monday, June 2, 2014.  The project will replace the existing stream channel with a new channel that is more stable and is connected to the adjacent floodplain, which will provide a better aquatic habitat, support a healthier meadow ecosystem, and reduce the amount of fine sediment that reaches Lake Tahoe.

The first stage of the work will involve the re-installation of a temporary bridge starting June 2 and continuing until June 13, 2014.  During bridge installation and once the temporary bridge is in place, passage underneath the bridge will not be possible.  Boaters will need to remove their vessels from the river and carry them around the bridge, which is located approximately 5,000 feet downstream from the U.S. Highway 50 crossing at Elk’s Club.  Signs will be posted along the river to alert boaters of the temporary bridge obstacle.

The next step will be the construction of a temporary access road and the installation of construction and boundary fencing.  Once these structures are in place, construction of the new channel will begin.  Approximately 7,400 feet of new channel will be constructed in two phases, over a period of four years that began in 2013.

For public safety, the Forest Service has issued a forest order closing the project area from June 15, 2014 through October 15, 2014.  The Forest Order, map of the closure area and more information is posted at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/UpperTruckeeRestoration.