The South Lake Tahoe City Council awarded a nearly $11 million contract for construction of Phase 1 of the Bijou Area Erosion Control Project during a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

The first phase of the project is the highest-priority drainage project identified by the city and is expected to be built this year and next, according to a city staff report. The project entails a variety of erosion control measures in and around the Bijou Center.

“Project improvements include replacement of the failing Bijou Creek storm drainage culvert and construction of a regional storm water treatment system for the 47-acre Bijou commercial core project area, which includes contributing drainage areas from City right-of-way (ROW), US Highway 50 ROW, and private property,” according to the report.

After rejecting several bid protests, the City Council awarded the $10,921,349 contract to Sacramento’s Preston Pipelines by a unanimous vote Thursday. The project is expected to provide a third of the pollutant load reductions to Lake Tahoe required by the city’s municipal stormwater permit.