October 2009 - South Tahoe Public Utility District

Farm lateral must be intact to utilize the facility. An investigation of the integrity, functionality and
feasibility of the On-Farm facility was conducted. Based on location, soils characteristics,
regulatory compliance, required maintenance and ease of use it was recommended that the
District relocate their primary emergency disposal facility to the Diamond Valley Ranch in the
form of a temporary storage facility.
4.1.2 Ditch System Condition Assessment
The recycled water distribution system has its limitations, including conveyance capacity
restrictions along sections of the Diamond Ditch. Of particular importance is the erosion of
sections of the Diamond Ditch in Wade Valley, as this poses a reliability and water quality
concern. The annual maintenance associated with open ditches is costly and time consuming.
Currently the District operates its Alpine County Facilities with three full time employees and
several seasonal staff as work load demands.
Harvey Place Dam and Reservoir require little annual maintenance; however, the limited ability
of the District to by-pass the reservoir limits the maintenance that can be performed on the
pipeline under Harvey Place Reservoir that carries flow from Indian Creek Reservoir to Indian
Creek. Maintenance requiring the draining of Harvey Place Reservoir is limited under existing
operational practices.
The On-Farm emergency disposal site is a continued source of maintenance and reliability
problems. The site is susceptible to localized erosion and “filling in” of infiltration ditches. This
continual maintenance issue deems this area undesirable due to time and cost associated with
maintenance on a facility that is marginally effective at best.
Maintenance is compounded by the rigid filling and release schedules of Harvey Place
Reservoir, and the limited growing season at these elevations. A system of conveyance
redundancy could provide for greater flexibility and management alternatives.
4.2 Recycled Water Irrigators
Alpine County ranchers and the District have benefited from the recycled water resource
provided by the South Lake Tahoe Public Utility District. This section describes the current
contract irrigators and future potential irrigators. A detailed assessment of the contract irrigators‟
lands and their associated ranching practices can be found in Appendix D – Ranching
Practices. The parties receiving recycled water have changed since recycled water was first
provided to users in Alpine County in 1968. The data and ranch profiles provided in Appendix D
are only applicable to current recycled water irrigators.
4.2.1 Current Users
The ability to use recycled water in Alpine County as a source of irrigation and nutrients for
crops is a valuable commodity to local ranchers. The recycled water application system is
located in a watershed that has very limited freshwater storage capacity. The lack of freshwater
storage and the short seasonal runoff period makes the value of recycled water stored in
Harvey Place Reservoir higher than in most areas because it can be used later in the irrigation
season.
The South Tahoe Public Utility District currently has contracts with several local landowners for
direct land application of recycled water from Harvey Place Reservoir. As per the modified
August 29, 1972 Diamond Ditch Agreement between the District and the Diamond Ditch Mutual
South Tahoe Public Utility District
Recycled Water Facilities Master Plan - October 2009 Page 4-21