Environmental Groups Call on U.S. EPA to Investigate Potential Harms of Lead Telecom Cables
“EPA must prioritize the immediate removal of lead-sheathed cables accessible to children or strung overhead between telephone poles,” said Tom Neltner, senior director for safer chemicals at EDF. “These cables pose the greatest exposure risk to lead, and they can be easily fixed. For the underwater cables, EPA should assess the risk, prioritizing those in sources of water protected for drinking.” 17 July 2023.
AT&T Halts Plans to Remove Lead Cables in Tahoe
The telecom giant said in a court filing that it wanted to allow for additional testing for lead and “maintain the Lake Tahoe cables in place while working cooperatively with regulators and other stakeholders on an appropriate risk assessment.” 19 July 2023.
Environmental Groups Ask EPA to Shield Public From Abandoned Lead Cables
In a letter Monday to the EPA, the groups asked the federal agency to ensure the “immediate removal” of all abandoned aerial lead-covered cables hung up on poles and lead infrastructure accessible to children from the ground. The groups also asked the EPA to assess the risks of underwater cables, giving priority to those in areas the regulator designates as important to protect drinking water supply. 17 July 2023.
Lawmakers Demand Telecom Firms Act on Toxic Lead Cables After WSJ Investigation
Lawmakers are demanding that telecom firms act to ensure that Americans are safe after a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that phone companies have left behind a network of cables covered in toxic lead, tainting water and soil in some locations. 11 July 2023.
AT&T and Verizon Knew About Toxic Lead Cables - And Did Little
For decades, AT&T, Verizon and other firms dating back to the old Bell System have known that the lead in their networks was a possible health risk to their workers and had the potential to leach into the nearby environment, according to documents and interviews with former employees. 12 July 2023.
'I Was Really Sick, And I Didn't Know From What'
The lead, which those workers handled for decades, is a potential health risk for communities across the U.S. The cables sheathed in the toxic metal are the subject of a Wall Street Journal investigation that has detailed how AT&T, Verizon and other telecom giants left behind a sprawling network of cables, many of which are leaching lead into the environment. Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure. 14 July 2023.
Bayou Teche Is an Epicenter for America's Lead Cable Problem
Southern Louisiana’s 125-mile-long Bayou Teche flows through a region particularly dense with cables. Southern Bell filed permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers starting in the 1930s to place more than a dozen cables across the bayou. 10 July 2023.
How the Journal investigation Hidden Lead Cables Circling the U.S.
A team of reporters worked with experts in the field and a lot of high-tech equipment. 9 July 2023.
America is Wrapped in Miles of Toxic Lead Cables
Telecom companies laid them decades ago and thousands were left behind, posing a hidden health hazard today, a WSJ investigation found. 9 July 2023.
Nonprofits and public agency team up to tackle underwater construction debris at Lake Tahoe
In cooperation with the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the underwater environmentalists are working to stop the illicit practice of using Lake Tahoe as a construction site dumpster.
Nonprofits and public agency team up to tackle underwater construction debris at Lake Tahoe
“‘Out of sight, out of mind’ is not the answer for Tahoe. It’s a recipe for wrecking the Lake," said Seth Jones, co-founder of Below the Blue. “Having shoreline homes, piers and recreational opportunities is a privilege that shouldn’t be abused by dumping trash in the Lake. Carelessly dropping a pair of sunglasses off the boat is one thing; intentionally pushing construction materials into the water is much more egregious. It’s up to the property owners and the construction crews to do better.” 20 April 2022.
Nonprofit reaches settlement with AT&T over 8 miles of cable leaching lead into Lake Tahoe
Divers discovered the abandoned cables in 2012 as they were removing trash from the bottom of Lake Tahoe. That discovery led to years of work, first to discover what the cables were, who they belonged to, and what they were doing to the lake. 19 November 2021.
Nonprofits and public agency team up to tackle underwater construction debris at Lake Tahoe
For more than a decade, the scuba divers and co-founders of the Tahoe-based nonprofit Below the Blue have removed more than 100,000 pounds of foreign objects from the lake. Over countless dives, one source of submarine trash stands out as persistent but preventable – debris from shoreline building projects.
Old toxic cables to be removed from Lake Tahoe: Settlement
A U.S. judge in Sacramento recently signed the consent decree in the suit the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed in January. The abandoned cables — replaced with fiber optic ones in the 1980s — contain more than 65 tons (59 metric tonnes) of toxic lead that is polluting the alpine lake on the California-Nevada line, the lawsuit said.
'It was a mess': Sailboat filled with 3,000 pounds of trash removed from Emerald Bay
A sailboat filled with more than 3,000 pounds of trash, fuel, paint and other chemicals in South Lake Tahoe has now been removed. "It was a long process," the California State Parks told KCRA 3. The boat was left by its owner last summer, according to the California State Parks. The owner then refused to remove it in November when asked. Looming December storms heightened the risk that the boat would spill trash into the clear waters of the lake, and officials "decided to work with (their) partners."
Conservationists File Lawsuit To Remove Abandoned Toxic Cables from Lake Tahoe
AT&T’s Pac Bell subsidiary has settled a lawsuit conservationists filed under a U.S. law more typically cited in Superfund cases, agreeing to spend up to $1.5 million to remove 8 miles of toxic telephone cables that were abandoned on the bottom of Lake Tahoe decades ago.
State Parks Works With Private Contractor, Nonprofit to Remove Abandoned Sailboat From Emerald Bay
Recognizing the potential and significant environmental damage an abandoned boat can cause, Sierra District, along with environmental consulting firm Marine Taxonomic Services and nonprofit Below the Blue, teamed up to clean out and dispose of a sailboat left in Emerald Bay.
Lake Tahoe non-profit discovers toxic, lead-leeching cables; wins fight for removal
Below the Blue, a local nonprofit that is dedicated to removing foreign debris and investigating pollution problems, brought attention to the cable in 2020, and has been working diligently with PacBell’s parent company to get the cable removed ever since.
Pacific Bell ordered to remove miles of Telephone Cables from Lake Tahoe
A court settlement between the company and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance ended with Pacific Bell agreeing to remove the leaded cables and cover all costs for permitting and proper disposal.
The lines, discovered by divers and brought to authority’s attention by local nonprofit Below the Blue in 2020, had been abandoned by the company over 30 years ago.
Court orders removal of 75 tons of abandoned phone cable from Lake Tahoe
Eight miles of abandoned telephone cable laid off the West Shore of Lake Tahoe were ordered removed under a settlement, according to a federal court decree. Pac Bell stopped using the cables in the 1980s. In a suit filed by California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the cables are leaching lead into the lake.
8 miles of lead-laden cables reportedly leaching into Lake Tahoe, court records show
Earlier this month, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of California's waters, received a settlement in a lawsuit it filed in January in the United States District Court against AT&T subsidiary Pacific Bell.
Toxic Tahoe Cables
Reno: AT&T’s Pac Bell subsidiary has settled a lawsuit conservationists filed under a U.S. law more typically cited in Superfund cases, agreeing to spend up to $1.5 million to remove 8 miles of toxic telephone cables that were abandoned on the bottom of Lake Tahoe decades ago. The abandoned cables – replaced with fiber optic ones in the 1980s – contain more than 65 tons of toxic lead that is polluting the alpine lake on the California-Nevada line, the lawsuit said. In addition to violating water quality protections, the suit said the more than 3 pounds of lead per foot of cable constitutes solid waste regulated under the U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Pac Bell knew the cables it owned and operated contained lead that eventually would leak into the 1,644-foot-deep lake, the lawsuit said. Lead in both solid and dissolved forms is listed as known to cause cancer and reproductive toxicity, it said. “All of the cables are damaged and discharging lead into Lake Tahoe,” the lawsuit said. Initial cost estimates for cable removal range from $275,000 to $550,000. But Pac Bell agreed to deposit $1.5 million in an account to guard against overruns, according to the settlement U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremy Peterson signed Nov. 4.