As the result of a lawsuit with the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, AT&T has agreed to remove its abandoned cables at the bottom of Lake Tahoe.
After an initial settlement in 2022, AT&T re-opened the case to see if the claims made by the CSPA had any merit.
The suit alleged that AT&T's cables were discharging lead, which violates California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxics Enforcement Act of 1986 - and that the discharges presented an 'imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment.'
The investigation revealed that the cables were indeed discharging lead. Due to currents, anchor strikes and deterioration over time, the cables have been worn down and the lead conduit exposed in a few locations.
Scientific investigations confirmed elevated levels of lead in the water and lake bed next to the cables. They also found lead in algae, and in clams and crawdads near the cables.
The telecommunications cables are made of paper-wrapped copper wire inside a thick lead conduit. Those are then wrapped in steel rods and covered in a fiber coating.
Each foot of the cables contains roughly 3.4 pounds of lead, and there are about 6 miles of submerged cables.
This decision means that AT&T will be removing roughly 107,000 pounds from the bed of Lake Tahoe.
Even with the settlement, AT&T stands by their initial stance that the cables weren't a danger to anyone.
According to AT&T President-California Marc Blakeman, "Multiple expert analyses have confirmed that the telecommunications cables in Lake Tahoe are safe and pose no threat to public health or the environment. While we’re confident in the strength of our case and the safety of the cables, this settlement represents an amicable resolution to litigation. With the litigation behind us, we are fulfilling our original commitment to remove the cables in Lake Tahoe."
