It is a fact that TRPA is stepping up its BMP enforcement efforts and Incline Village is rated a “Priority 1 Watershed” area. What that means for us is that letters will be showing up in the mail and if nothing is done on your property, fines will follow. You can read the enforcement letter here.

What is the current status of BMPs on Lake Tahoe? Currently, there are roughly 34,000 parcels on Lake Tahoe that are not compliant with a mere 11,000 that are. TRPA is focusing its efforts on Priority 1 watersheds, and specifically on the parcels that have the highest impact. Most of Incline Village is designated Priority1 watershed, so expect a letter sooner than later.

What can you do? If you have your compliance certificate, consider that money in the bank, you are done. If you are not compliant, your property will need an evaluation first. Then the work must be completed according to your plan. Once all work is complete, you will arrange for a final inspection. If all work is up to par, you will receive a certificate of completion.

What if you get a compliance letter in the mail? Take it seriously. This is one of TRPA’s major projects and Incline Village is #1 on their list. By the book, you have 60 days to get your property in compliance after receiving a letter. After 60 days, TRPA can begin enforcement proceedings (i.e. fines). However, TRPA is sending letters to get BMPs completed, not to collect fines. If you get your evaluation scheduled, begin work on your BMPs, and stay on your time line, TRPA will most probably not hassle you.

Who can do property evaluations? You have two options here. Pay for an independent contractor that has been certified by TRPA. (They can be found here) A private contractor will be the quickest way and most contractors will waive their evaluation fees if they do the work. Your other option is using the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District. (Their site can be found here) . This will be the most economical option. The service is free so you will most probably end up on a waiting list. The nice part of working with NTCD is that they communicate directly with TRPA thus reducing the need to notify TRPA that you BMPs are in progress.

Since when has TRPA been enforcing BMP compliance? Recently. When the BMP plan went into effect years ago, TRPA created a 3-tiered system of priorities, priority 1 watershed, priority 2 watershed, and priority 3 watershed. Priority 1 is their most important tier and all BMPs were to be completed October 15, 2000. Priority 2 properties were to be completed by October 15, 2006. Priority 3 properties – October 15, 2008. Now that the compliance dates for all properties on Lake Tahoe have passed, all incomplete properties are in violation and TRPA is moving into enforcement. With only 25% of all properties complete, you can be sure that TRPA is going to begin ramping up their efforts.

The invasive zebra and quagga mussels have been found in freshwater lakes and waterways on the East Coast for some time. Last year, when zebra mussels were found in a reservoir less than 250 miles away from Lake Tahoe, TRPA took action.

In response, they have created the Tahoe Resource Conservation District. The organization is responsible for training inspectors and administering inspections. Beginning June 1, all boats entering Lake Tahoe will have mandatory inspections. The fee for the inspection will cost between $10 and $60 depending on the size of the vessel. The fees are designed to help defray the cost of the program, currently estimated at $675,000 annually. If your vessel is inspected and not removed from the boat, you do not have to have another inspection.

Keeping contaminated vessels from entering Lake Tahoe is the most potent form of prevention possible. Inspectors can be found at Ski Beach, Sand Harbor, Cave Rock, and Lake Forest ramps. To clean a contaminated vessel, high pressure water heated above 140 degrees Fahrenheit is working the best. These mussels are tough, even a concentrated solution of bleach does not kill the hardiest of the mollusks (all mussels are in the mollusk family).

You may ask yourself why these little mussels are creating such a stir. The reason is that they originate from the Black Sea and have no natural predators. Once the mussels get in a body of water they begin multiply at a rapid rate. Almost all of the large, freshwater ways and navigable lakes in the US have been contaminated by ocean going ships. Currently, there is no known way to eradicate the mussels once they take hold in an aquatic environment.

Their damage comes in two forms. The main issue is the nuisance caused by the rapid build up of the mollusks in pipes and on hard surfaces. The other problem comes from an unlikely source. The mollusks eat micro nutrients and tend to clear up the water. Having the pleasure of 75 feet of clarity here at Lake Tahoe, one might think that a clearer body of water is better. Unfortunately, when bodies of murky water (think Lake Mead) get cleaned, more light enters the water and plants and other aquatic life grow at an unbalanced level. Once this process starts, a cycle begins and can eventually destroy a water body by changing the alkalinity of the water and killing the inhabitants.

Inspections at Ski Beach are available daily from 7am until 8pm and are free of charge for residents through May 31. If you use a service to launch and or store your boat, they will most likely have someone on staff to address this issue. You can also click here for a guide on cleaning your watercraft.