{"id":4031,"date":"2011-08-16T13:08:15","date_gmt":"2011-08-16T20:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unrbep.org\/?p=4031"},"modified":"2011-08-16T13:08:15","modified_gmt":"2011-08-16T20:08:15","slug":"historic-agreement-on-improving-lake-tahoe-clarity-signed-by-california-and-nevada-governors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/historic-agreement-on-improving-lake-tahoe-clarity-signed-by-california-and-nevada-governors\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic agreement on improving Lake Tahoe clarity signed by California and Nevada Governors"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. EPA approves collaborative bi-state plan <\/em><\/p>\n

SAN FRANCISCO<\/strong> \u2013 U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein today hosted the 15th<\/sup> Annual Lake Tahoe Summit, at which California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld signed a roadmap to return the lake to almost 100 feet of clarity within 65 years.<\/p>\n

The water clarity of Lake Tahoe declined from a visibility level of 105 feet in 1967 to an all time low of 64 feet in 1997.\u00a0 Ten years of scientific study ascertained that fine particulate matter is the prime factor in diminished clarity at Lake Tahoe. The Clean Water Act allows states and U.S. EPA to develop a \u201cdiet\u201d for impaired waters like Lake Tahoe to help them recover.\u00a0 This diet is called the Lake Tahoe TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load).<\/p>\n

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\u2019s clarity and to develop a cost-effective, workable solution for improvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am pleased that California and Nevada have demonstrated unprecedented levels of collaboration in crafting this agreement,\u201d said Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval<\/strong>. \u201cYears of hard work and scientific study have paid off, paving the way for much-needed future success at Lake Tahoe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLake Tahoe provides enormous environmental and economic value to California and the nation,\u201d said California Edmund G. Brown, Jr.<\/strong> \u201cThese benefits are directly related to the quality and clarity of the Lake. It is incumbent upon all of us to protect and enhance Lake Tahoe’s clarity.\u00a0 This historic agreement will ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy Lake Tahoe’s beauty and clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Total Maximum Daily Load offers a roadmap to improve Lake Tahoe\u2019s clarity so future generations can enjoy this majestic lake,\u201d said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein <\/strong>of California. \u201cMore than a decade of research went into this plan and I commend California, Nevada and the Environmental Protection Agency for coming together to implement it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCommon-sense regulations regarding water clarity at Lake Tahoe are critical to the health, preservation and restoration of this national treasure,\u201d said U.S. Senator Harry Reid<\/strong> of Nevada.\u00a0 \u201cThey will also ensure that Lake Tahoe remains a valuable economic resource that is helping put Nevadans back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI commend Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the Lahontan Water Quality Control Board for developing a scientific plan to restore the clarity of Lake Tahoe.\u00a0 The years of hard work and collaboration have paid off,\u201d said U.S. Senator Dean Heller<\/strong> of Nevada.<\/p>\n

\u201cLake Tahoe is one of the largest, deepest, and clearest lakes in the world. Its shimmering blue waters, biologically diverse alpine setting, and remarkable water clarity are legendary,\u201d said Jared Blumenfeld, U.S. EPA\u2019s Regional Administrator<\/strong> for the Pacific Southwest. \u201cBy establishing rigorous benchmarks and accountability, this plan ensures that Lake Tahoe\u2019s environment and economy will thrive long into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lake contributes significantly to the economies of California, Nevada and the United States. 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.<\/p>\n

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 stormwater runoff, forest runoff, stream channel erosion and atmospheric deposition.\u00a0 The TMDL outlines measures to reduce each of these sources, with a focus on the urban stormwater runoff source, as it is both the greatest source and the best opportunity to control the pollutants.\u00a0 The TMDL calls for advanced and innovative controls to achieve the needed pollution reductions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe water quality goals have long been agreed to. The TMDL makes it possible to go forward by knowing how much pollutant loads need to be reduced, where those reductions can be found, and the rate of improvement that will follow,\u201d said Dr. Geoffrey Schladow<\/strong>, Director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.<\/p>\n

Achieving the load reductions outlined in the TMDL will be challenging. California\u2019s Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection are working closely with local jurisdictions including the counties, departments of transportation, the City of South Lake Tahoe, and other stakeholders to reduce the amount of fine sediment and nutrients entering the lake. The two state agencies are also collaborating with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to ensure that the Regional Plan, which will soon be updated, supports the local government actions needed to implement the TMDL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Basin\u2019s private stakeholders welcome the opportunity to help implement science-based strategies to protect and restore Lake Tahoe\u2019s famed water clarity. Since much of the pollutants of concern are the result of a 50 to 60-year-old built environment, one opportunity for meaningful load reduction is to rebuild many of these older structures incorporating state-of-the art green technologies,\u201d said Lewis Feldman<\/strong>, a local land-use attorney for businesses throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.<\/p>\n

For more information about Clean Water Act TMDLs, please visit: \u00a0http:\/\/water.epa.gov\/lawsregs\/lawsguidance\/cwa\/tmdl\/<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information about California\u2019s TMDL for Lake Tahoe, please visit:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.waterboards.ca.gov\/lahontan\/water_issues\/programs\/tmdl\/lake_tahoe\/index.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information about Nevada\u2019s TMDL for Lake Tahoe, please visit:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/region9\/water\/tmdl\/nevada.html<\/a> and http:\/\/ndep.nv.gov\/bwqp\/tahoe.htm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. EPA approves collaborative bi-state plan SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein today hosted the 15th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit, at which California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld signed a roadmap to return the lake to almost 100 feet of clarity within 65 … Continue reading Historic agreement on improving Lake Tahoe clarity signed by California and Nevada Governors<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4031"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4031"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4033,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4031\/revisions\/4033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unrbep.org\/dealerportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}