October 2009 - South Tahoe Public Utility District

Development in areas currently receiving recycled water may result in the loss of permitted land.
Therefore, additional lands need to be permitted for the application of recycled water in Alpine
County. There are approximately 1,100 acres west of Fredericksburg Road not currently in
agricultural production that have the potential to receive recycled water with infrastructure
modifications. However it is anticipated that some of this land could be earmarked for residential
development due to location and property values.
4.4.2 Potential Nevada Users
Nevada irrigators downstream of Alpine County currently do not have access to sufficient
volumes of water to divert to irrigation in an average or below average rain year. Because of
this lack of reliable freshwater sources, Nevada irrigators perceive recycled water as a desirable
commodity. Currently, the District‟s recycled water is not permitted for direct land application in
Nevada. Permitting could be pursued through the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
for Nevada irrigators to receive recycled water from Harvey Place Reservoir. Currently only a
secondary irrigator (tailwater) user agreement is in place to administer waters from the District‟s
system entering Nevada. The irrigators in California and Nevada recognize the inherent value of
the recycled water resource as a desirable commodity and are striving to maximize the usage
and efficiency in applying this resource.
In order to provide users in Nevada with recycled water, improvements and modifications to the
existing conveyance systems also need to be performed. New conveyance systems would also
need to be constructed.
South Tahoe Public Utility District
Recycled Water Facilities Master Plan - October 2009 Page 4-25