October 2009 - South Tahoe Public Utility District

agreement between South Lake Tahoe Public Utility District and the County Alpine and The
Alpine County Water Agency (Appendix N).
Upon completion of construction of Harvey Place Reservoir, the District drained Indian Creek
Reservoir in 1989 and started to fill it with freshwater from Indian Creek and the West Fork of
the Carson River.
1.1.4 Diamond Ditch Agreement 1972
A contract was entered into between the District and the Diamond Ditch Mutual Water
Association (DDMWA) in 1972. Four ranches comprise the DDMWA including: Gansberg, Ace
Hereford, Neddenriep and Bruns. This contract allowed for the use of recycled water stored in
Indian Creek Reservoir in the amount of up to 3,000 acre-feet per year (AF/Yr). When
construction of Harvey Place Reservoir began in 1983, the District entered into a new
agreement with DDMWA, effective for 40 years after completion of the direct land application
system (November 3, 1988). This new agreement specified that from April to October, the
District must provide a minimum of 2,000 AF/Yr and a maximum of 3,600 AF/Yr to be divided
equally among the ranchers. The agreement allows for the District to lease the Diamond Ditch
system, and the District assumes the loan payments on the system, which allows the District the
right of access for maintenance and operations of the system.
This agreement states several provisions regarding delivery volumes and timing that are
physically and operationally impossible for the District to meet. Future modifications of this
agreement will reflect operations that are possible and a delivery volume that is determined by
state-mandated regulations, and potentially by the crop type and soil characteristics at the
application site as developed in Nutrient Management Plans (see section 1.2.4, page 1-5).
1.1.5 Harvey Place Reservoir Agreement 1983
A 1983 amendment to the 1967 Alpine County contract provided for the construction of Harvey
Place Reservoir. The District currently uses the 3,800 acre-feet Harvey Place Reservoir to store
recycled water during the winter months; during the growing season that water is available for
agricultural irrigation. The 1983 agreement started a series of environmental reviews,
geotechnical studies, reservoir and transmission pipeline modification design, and public
outreach programs.
The need for a new reservoir was twofold: increased treatment plant outflow deemed Indian
Creek Reservoir too small for seasonal storage needs, and the District decided to revert to
secondary treatment at the South Lake Tahoe wastewater treatment facility. Together these
issues made storage of recycled water in Indian Creek Reservoir infeasible. The water quality of
the inflow to Indian Creek Reservoir could not be degraded by the addition of secondary treated
waste water because Indian Creek Reservoir had a developing freshwater fishery.
1.1.6 Harvey Place Reservoir Construction 1988
Harvey Place Reservoir is a clay core, earthen dam constructed of local materials in 1988. The
clay was extracted from the center of the Diamond Valley property approximately 0.7 miles to
the north of the dam site. The C-Line was modified to convey recycled water to Harvey Place
Reservoir rather than Indian Creek Reservoir.
South Tahoe Public Utility District
Recycled Water Facilities Master Plan - October 2009 Page 1-3