8 Miles Of Lead-Coated Telephone Cables Sat At The Bottom Of Lake Tahoe For Decades, And They Were Just Removed
For decades, miles of lead-covered telephone cables have sat at the bottom of Lake Tahoe, citing concerns of lead contamination from environmentalists and residents in the area. Finally, the cables have been removed after years of legal deliberation.
In 2012, scuba divers discovered the cables in Lake Tahoe. They consisted of copper wires that were surrounded by a layer of lead sheathing.
They may have been laid in the lake as early as the 1920s when telephone service was still making its way across the United States.
Back then, lead was understood to be the most reliable material for protecting the copper wires that people depended on for communication. The telecom industry actually began using lead in the 1880s.
Telecom companies installed newer cables as technology advanced. The old ones were left in place and forgotten. Over time, the cables in Lake Tahoe suffered damage from debris and boat anchors.
Environmental activists and local residents began to worry that the torn cables were contaminating the lake with lead. The lake is a popular swimming destination and even provides drinking water for some households.
It is believed that the cables were originally installed by Bell Systems, which was acquired by AT&T later on. In 2021, the nonprofit California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed a civil lawsuit against AT&T because of the cables.
In 2023, an investigation uncovered abandoned telecommunications cables coated with lead across the country. Soil and water samples were taken from the areas near the cables.
Tests of Lake Tahoe showed that lead levels in one sample were 2,533 times higher than what is recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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AT&T argued that the cables had not contaminated Lake Tahoe. It even conducted its own lead tests to demonstrate that the cables were not harmful to public health or the environment. Still, they agreed to remove the cables anyway.
It took more than two weeks of 12-hour shifts to remove the cables from the lakebed. Scuba divers and a remotely operated underwater vehicle worked in the water while crew members on two vessels helped hoist the heavy cables onto the larger vessel.
They cut the cables into smaller pieces, and then other crews transported the cable pieces to Tahoe Keys Marina, lifted them onto trucks, and drove them to a recycling facility.
Overall, the teams extracted almost eight miles of cable from the southwestern section of the lake. One part was located in Emerald Bay, and the other was between Baldwin Beach and Rubicon Point.
According to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, roughly 107,000 pounds of lead were removed from the lake.
So far, it is unclear whether the lead has caused damage to the lake. Lead is a heavy metal that occurs naturally, but when ingested, it can build up in the body and lead to health problems.
Children, pregnant women, and other adults with health issues are especially vulnerable to lead exposure.
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