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Resident Michael Levin warns Granite staging near water tanks could harm northern goshawk nest
Summary
Local resident Michael Levin told the Tahoe City Public Utilities District board the Ascent Environmental report and CEQA exemption did not address a northern goshawk nest near the proposed staging area by the water towers and urged the district not to use the site without new environmental review.
Michael Levin, a neighbor to the water-tower site, told the board he has documented a nearby raptor nest and raised concerns that the district’s documents did not analyze impacts from a proposed storage/staging yard near the towers.
"There's a nest that produced 3 fledglings of northern gassalocks this year," Levin said, adding that the nest sits about "900 feet from your water towers" and that the Biologic Resources report omitted the species and failed to map nearby trails and impacts correctly. He argued the categorical exemption and Ascent Environmental report did not cover the proposed staging area and that additional survey work would be required before any use of the site.
Levin cited state and federal protections and local TRPA guidance, saying the district could face regulatory exposure if staging or heavy-equipment access disturbed the area. He also flagged inconsistencies in the Ascent Environmental appendices and urged the board to require a new report that includes the area of potential effects and the identified ski trail crossings.
District staff thanked Levin for the comments and noted that, per staff, no site would be used "without environmental clearance and full permitting and full compliance with the law." The board did not take action on the staging site at the meeting; staff said the district is still in early site-screening and would follow up on public comments and any technical corrections needed to the environmental record.
