Tahoe sewer pump station flooded

People are being asked to stay away from an area near Nevada Beach after a Douglas County Lake Tahoe Sewer Authority pump station flooded and threatened to flow into Lake Tahoe.

The authority on Saturday morning received a report from weekend staff of flooding at the pump station located within the Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit at Nevada Beach Campground, Swimming Area, and Group Pavilion.

The pump station collects sewage from the Stateline area and then pumps it to their treatment plant on Sewer Plant Road.

The authority said the station flooded due to the recent atmospheric river that contributed to excessive water flowing from upland forest and meadow areas.

The pump station is in the vicinity of the proposed Burke Creek Restoration Project.

The authority said it took immediate action to protect the lake, plant operations, and prevent overwhelming the pump station capacity by creating paths for the floodwaters through the snow.

Crews constructed snow-berm barriers and placed sandbags to further protect the pump station, surrounding areas and lake.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the Nevada Division of Forestry assisted with the effort. The pump station will continue to be monitored to ensure the entire area is protected and repairs to the soils damaged by this emergency action will be completed as soon as possible.

“We ask the public to please avoid this area for the foreseeable future, as the activities related to protecting the pump station are ongoing, paths have been disturbed, and vehicles will be moving throughout the area,” the authority said.