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View Fact Sheet

Tahoe Keys Fragment Containment

This Project is sourced from EIP Project Tracker
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Forecasted
Planning/Design
Implementation
Post-Implementation
Completed
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Contents

Project Overview

Basics

Restore & Protect Native Fish and Wildlife
Invasive & Native Species Management
Mechanical and Manual Removal
Tahoe Keys Fragment Containment
Implementation
Additional containment tools are integral to keep Lake Tahoe free from the threat of aquatic invasive plants. Keep Tahoe Blue, along with Eco-Clean Solution Inc., is piloting the deployment of innovative technologies in the Tahoe Keys Marina to address litter and microplastics with Suntex Marinas. This technology will be used to create a physical barrier between the AIP infestation in the Tahoe Keys Marina and Lake Tahoe. The work was piloted in 2023 with the use of the Pixie Drone technology.
2023
2023
2025
2/2/2026

Project Attributes

Footprint Acres
None

Location

To zoom, hold down Shift and drag a rectangle.
The work will be completed in the Tahoe Keys Marina with Suntex Marinas.
  • El Dorado
  • Not in a National Forest
  • General Creek-Frontal Lake Tahoe (1605010104)
  • Lake Tahoe (16050101)
  • Not in a WUI Zone

Organizations

Funders
  • League to Save Lake Tahoe
  • Tahoe Keys Marina (Suntex)
  • Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Lead Implementer
  • League to Save Lake Tahoe

Contacts

Laura Patten (Laura@keeptahoeblue.org)

Performance Measures

Expected Performance Measures

Acres Treated for Invasive Species Form of Removal: Unspecified Invasive Species Type: Aquatic Level of Treatment: Unspecified 2 acres

Reported Performance Measures

Acres Treated for Invasive Species
Form of Removal Invasive Species Type Level of Treatment Total 2025 2024 2023 Units
Unspecified Aquatic Unspecified 1.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 acres
Total 1.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 acres

Financials

Budget

$350,000.00
$250,000.00
$50,000.00
$50,000.00
Total
Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (TRPA) $100,000.00 $50,000.00 $150,000.00
League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue) $50,000.00 $0.00 $50,000.00
Tahoe Keys Marina (Suntex) (TKM) $100,000.00 $0.00 $100,000.00
Total $250,000.00 $50,000.00 $300,000.00
Comment: None provided

Reported Expenditures

2023 2024 2025 Total
Tahoe Keys Marina (Suntex) (TKM) $50,000.00 $25,000.00 $0.00 $75,000.00
Grand Total $50,000.00 $25,000.00 $0.00 $75,000.00
Note: No expenditures reported in the EIP Project Tracker.

Pillars of Resilience

Pillars of Resilience

Project Details

Attachments

No attachments

No attachments

Notes

02/27/2023 8:34 AM System Additional tools are needed for containment of aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys. The League to Save Lake Tahoe (League) is piloting additional innovative technologies for containment in 2023– Containment 2.0. The League along with EcoClean Solutions, Inc. is proposing the use of two new containment tools to be piloted in the Tahoe Keys Marina: the Collecthor and the Pixie Drone. These tools would be piloted in Lake Tahoe for the first time to create a physical barrier between Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Keys Marina, pulling waste and fragments out of the Marina.
There is a need to rapidly improve containment within the lagoons, control the Keys Complex, create the physical buffer between Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Keys lagoons, test new technologies, test efficacy and share these lessons with other parts of Lake Tahoe and the world.
The goals for 2023 are articulated below. The League will pilot the CollecThor and Pixie Drone to create a physical barrier, improve containment tools, and be at the forefront of new technologies in Lake Tahoe with the goal of removing the threat of aquatic invasive plants in Lake Tahoe while still allowing dredging in the East Channel of the Tahoe Keys Marina.
Goal #1: Create a physical barrier between aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys Marina and Lake Tahoe.
Goal #2: Test and improve containment tools to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive plants.
Goal #3: Be at the forefront of new technologies piloted in Lake Tahoe that can be shared nationally and internationally as a model of AIP management.

In addition to operation of the Bubble Curtain in the East channel for containment, the League is proposing the utilization of UV-C treatment, bottom barriers and hand-pulling, and the CollecThor and Pixie Drone technologies within the Tahoe Keys Marina as shown in the graphic attached to this project. The specification sheet links for the innovative technologies are also included.
Outcome #1: Removal of pollution from the marina lagoons (Pixie Drone and CollecThor): Including floating plastics, polystyrene (Styrofoam) from docks and hydrocarbon removal with a Pixie Drone filter insert.
Outcome #2: Technology testing for use in other marinas.
Outcome #4: Training of Tahoe Keys Marina staff (boat ramp ops, etc) on AIS spread prevention from the League.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe will serve as project leads and coordinators for the duration of the project and also help with technical support media support. Eco-Clean Solutions will be operating the CollecThor and the Pixie Drone while MTS will provide support for the Bubble Curtain operation and maintenance. John Paoluccio will provide the UV-C boat while Marina Staff will support the bubble curtain maintenance needs.

External Links

  • Collec'Thor - fixed waste collector Attracts and stores all types of floating waste
  • PixieDrone - Mobile waste collector Floating waste collector drone
  • PixieDrone Performance Features

Photos

Photos

  •  

    Aerial image of the aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys Complex and the East Channel of the Tahoe Keys Marina (Timing: Before) (~151 KB) Credit: League to Save Lake Tahoe

    Aerial image of the aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys Complex and the East Channel of the Tahoe Keys Marina
    (Timing: Before) (~151 KB)
  •  

    Pixie Drone in action in the Tahoe Keys (Timing: During) (~512 KB) Credit: League to Save Lake Tahoe

    Pixie Drone in action in the Tahoe Keys
    (Timing: During) (~512 KB)
  •  

    Tahoe Keys Complex East Channel Containment Map (Timing: During) (~65 KB) Credit: League to Save Lake Tahoe

    Tahoe Keys Complex East Channel Containment Map
    (Timing: During) (~65 KB)

Credits: The Tahoe Central Sierra Project Tracker tool has been developed through generous funding from the California Tahoe Conservancy. This project tracker was created and developed by TCSI and Environmental Science Associates.

ProjectFirma is a service provided by Environmental Science Associates (ESA), which builds on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's EIP Project Tracker. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation. Source code is available on GitHub.

Copyright (C) 2026 Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and ESA | Code last updated (compiled) at 2026-03-25 17:34:11.