AT&T Agrees to Remove Abandoned Lead Cables From Lake Tahoe

Coaxial TV cables are seen in front of AT&T and Time Warner logos in this photo illustration created on June 13, 2018. Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters

Telecommunications giant AT&T Inc. has reached an agreement over abandoned submarine communication cables that plaintiffs say are contaminating Lake Tahoe with lead, and it has set target dates for removing them, according to court filings dated Sept 18.

Court documents show that the Dallas-headquartered company filed in support of a consent decree, with no admission of liability, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

As part of the agreement, AT&T has set a target of removing the cables and recycling or disposing of them by Nov. 30.

Failing that, it will remove them before May 26, 2025—Memorial Day—based on weather conditions, among other factors, according to the consent decree.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed against AT&T in 2021 by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), accusing the company of violating the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Proposition 65, also known as California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.

The cables at the bottom of the lake straddle the California–Nevada border.

According to its official website, AT&T conducted its own investigations and determined the lead-clad cables in Lake Tahoe do not pose a public health concern or danger to those who work and play in its waters.

AT&T Inc. and the CSPA conditionally settled regarding the cables in 2021, and the telecommunications company agreed to remove them.

However, the company then retracted that agreement so it could conduct further testing before eventually supporting the latest settlement.

In its lawsuit, the CSPA, a nonprofit conservation and research organization, said the cables—which are no longer operative—are about 41,600 feet long and contain more than 68 tons of lead.

According to the legal filing, the cables, and all of the lead they contain, were abandoned by AT&T “at some point in the past” when the company replaced them with “new, more modern cables, placed either in the same location or routed through a different location.”

Over time, the cables had deteriorated and degraded, exposing the lead conduit in numerous locations, according to the CSPA.

Concerned about the potential health and environmental implications of the cables’ presence, the CSPA said it had obtained a portion of one of the cables and tested it to see if it was likely to leach lead into Lake Tahoe, which is a popular tourist destination.

According to the lawsuit, the CSPA’s testing found that lead in the cables was being disseminated into the lake and that “humans and wildlife who make contact with, or who drink, Lake Tahoe water are exposed to the toxic heavy metal, lead.”

One sample of biofilm on the cables showed lead at 67,000 times more concentrated than a reference biofilm sample taken from a rock, according to the CSPA.

‘Monumental Win for the Environment’

Additional testing found lead in algae, according to the CSPA.

Lead is toxic, and there is no safe level of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High levels of lead can lead to devastating effects on childhood development, behavior, and academic achievement.

In adults, symptoms of lead poisoning include joint and muscle pain, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, mood disorders, miscarriage or stillbirth, and difficulties with concentration or memory, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Beachgoers enjoy sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s at Sand Harbor Beach, one of Lake Tahoe’s most popular spots, on June 14, 2024. Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times

“This is a monumental win for the environment, the communities who drink Lake Tahoe water, and people with lake-dependent livelihoods, and the millions of annual visitors,” Chris Shutes, the CSPA’s executive director, said in a statement following the AT&T filing in support of a consent decree.

The court is yet to determine what legal fees and costs will be awarded to the CSPA as part of the agreement with AT&T Inc.

In a press release shared with The Epoch Times, AT&T said 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,” the company said. “With the litigation behind us, we are fulfilling our original commitment to remove the cables in Lake Tahoe.”

This report was updated with AT&T’s comment.