News

Did you know that according to NRCS/USDA calculations, an average home with no Best Management Practices (BMPs) implemented can result in up to 3½ tons of soil erosion per year?  In contrast, homes with functioning BMPs installed result in only zero to 0.3 tons of soil erosion per year.

Implementation of BMPs on private property is an integral component in preventing sediments and nutrients from entering into local waterways, and in preserving the clarity of Lake Tahoe.  Through a multi-agency effort, a draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report has been established that determines the necessary pollutant load reductions to meet water quality criteria throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.  The TMDL is a quantitative assessment of water quality problems and pollutant sources which provides the scientific basis and framework for a comprehensive water quality restoration plan. The draft TMDL report has identified “urban-upland” pollutant sources including private-parcel residences, commercial properties, and primary and secondary roadways as major contributors of pollutants of concern including fine sediments, phosphorus and nitrogen.

Based on TMDL and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements, local jurisdictions are responsible for implementing BMPs to reduce pollutants entering into Lake Tahoe.  As a component of this requirement, extensive outreach effort will be conducted to educate private property homeowners on the importance of implementing BMPs on their properties. Additional components of the pollutant reduction strategy will be the implementation of community wide water quality improvement projects, and implementation of BMPs on commercial and multi-family units.

The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board is developing a local crediting and tracking system that will award pollutant reduction “credits” to jurisdictions based on the successful reduction of pollutants entering into Lake Tahoe.  Each local California jurisdiction, including El Dorado County, Placer County, and the City of South Lake Tahoe, is responsible for measuring existing loads and determining priority watersheds for improvement projects.  Tahoe RCD is coordinating with jurisdictional staff to account for crediting private-property BMPs for meeting required pollutant reduction standards.

In order to calculate the ultimate benefit achieved through BMP implementation, Tahoe RCD is simulating various scenarios using the Pollutant Load Reduction Model (PLRM), a tool created by Lahontan RWQCB specifically for the Tahoe Basin. Scenarios are created for certain sub-watershed areas based on existing implementation of BMPs on private parcels.  The model can predict the effective load reductions if BMP implementation were to significantly increase. Preliminary results indicate that full implementation of BMPs will significantly reduce surface flows and sediment erosion.

As of December, 2009 over 12,000 (~ 40% of the total) properties had implemented BMPs in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Although we still have a long way to go to attain the clarity of Lake Tahoe that was present in the 1960s, every property counts towards this achievement. Call Tahoe RCD today for a free BMP site evaluation--you will help your local jurisdiction to achieve mandatory TMDL and NPDES standards, and you will also help to conserve the unique environment in Lake Tahoe!  Thank you for doing your part!