Historic Agreement Reached to Improve Lake Tahoe Clarity

California Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld signed a roadmap to return Lake Tahoe to almost 100 ft of clarity within 65 years.

The water clarity of the lake declined from a visibility level of 105 ft in 1967 to an all time low of 64 ft in 1997. Years of scientific study ascertained that fine particulate matter is the prime factor in diminished clarity at the lake. The Clean Water Act allows states and EPA to develop a diet for impaired waters like Lake Tahoe to help them recover. This diet is called the Lake Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).

The TMDL represents a decade of collaborative effort between federal, state and local agencies and public stakeholders to better understand the pollutants and sources affecting the lake’s clarity and to develop a cost-effective, workable solution for improvement.

The lake contributes significantly to the economies of California, Nevada and the U.S. The communities and the economy of the Lake Tahoe Basin depend on the protection and restoration of its stunning beauty and diverse recreational opportunities in the region.

Scientific analysis demonstrates that restoring lake clarity is possible if pollutant load reductions can be achieved in each of the four primary sources of these pollutants: urban storm water runoff, forest runoff, stream channel erosion and atmospheric deposition.

The TMDL outlines measures to reduce each of these sources, with a focus on the urban storm water runoff source, as it is both the greatest source and the best opportunity to control the pollutants. The TMDL calls for advanced and innovative controls to achieve the needed pollution reductions.

Source: EPA