Keeping particles out of Lake Tahoe

july 08 unedited tahoe mt. news

By Kathryn Reed

Fine particles mucking up the visibility of Lake Tahoe ignited fireworks between El Dorado County Supervisor Jack Sweeney and Lahontan Water Board engineer Bob Larson.
Larson was tasked with giving the Board of Supervisors an update on total maximum daily load stats when the group met for its once a year Tahoe meeting on June 24 at Lake Tahoe Golf Course.
Sweeney jumped all over Larson when it was disclosed an estimated $1.5 billion is needed in the next 15 years to prevent particles from reaching the Lake. Of that, about $1.3 million would just be fore water quality.
“This county doesn’t have this kind of money and I don’t know where it’s going to get it and I don’t think the city of South Lake Tahoe has it,” Sweeney said. “If Lahontan wants to clean up Lake Tahoe, it needs to work with the state and feds to get more grant money. There’s no way we can slap the citizens of the basin (with this).”
Larson explained its not just Lahontan, but water boards throughout the country, which must deal with reducing TMDL per the federal Clean Water Act. He added that about $1 billion has been spent in the last ten years in Lahontan’s jurisdiction on all environmental improvement projects, so that sum of money has been attainable.
Larson explained how science has proved that it’s the fine particles – or brown substance, not the green algae – that prevents Lake Tahoe from being as clear as it was years ago. He said the particles are thinner than a strand of human hair.
“The primary cause of the loss of clarity is urbanization in the last 30 years,” Larson said.
Sweeney said he had not been made aware of public hearings Lahontan has had to gather public input. Larson says the process has been public and directed Sweeney to the agency’s website if he wants to read report after report on TMDL.
Sweeney asked if a California Environmental Quality Control document is required. Affirmative, Larson said. Sweeney pointed out these documents don’t look at economic realities of doing the projects.
The next TMDL meeting Lahontan is conducting will be July 17 from 4-6pm at Lake Tahoe Community College.