Telecom giant AT&T to remove 8 miles of lead cables in Lake Tahoe after legal battle

A remnant of an old telecommunications system, the lead cables were forgotten for decades

By Julie Brown Davis, Tahoe Editor (thanks to Pam P.)

Lake Tahoe is one of the most protected bodies of water in the country — and yet, for decades, 8 miles of lead-clad cables have been abandoned underwater, where they remain today. 

Those lead cables have no place in Lake Tahoe, say environmental watchdogs.

Now, after a protracted legal battle, a telecommunications giant agreed to pull the lead cables out of Lake Tahoe as soon as this fall, with an expedient path to do so in the works. 

AT&T said it will remove the lead cables from Lake Tahoe as part of a court settlement reached on Sept. 18. The settlement ends a yearslong legal battle with environmental nonprofit California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. (click Page 2 to continue)