Public meeting on growing PCE plume in South Lake Tahoe

Update 1/26: Due to a scheduling conflict the meeting has been moved from Tahoe Valley Elementary School to the South Lake Tahoe City Council Chambers.

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A 400 acre plume of contaminated groundwater will be the focus of a public meeting on February 7 in the SLT Council Chambers at the Lake Tahoe Airport from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was found in drinking water wells in South Lake Tahoe near the "Y" in 1989, and it remains in the groundwater today, forming a containment plume from the intersection of Highway 50 and State Route 89 and heading toward Lake Tahoe through the Tahoe Keys.

So far, PCE from the old Lake Tahoe Laundry Works is to blame for the closing of four of the five wells operated by Lukins Water, two of three run by the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association, and two of the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD), though since then they've been able to drill two more.

PCE is a manmade chemical that was used from the early 1960s through the mid-1980s as a solvent for dry cleaning clothes and degreasing metal. During the late 1980s, concerns about the toxicity of PCE led Federal and State environmental agencies to list PCE as a probable carcinogen and as a toxic pollutant.

When PCE is detected in a well, the well is shut down and treatment is added to remove the contaminant, or an alternative source of drinking water supply is provided. Local water providers are working together to protect and sustain South Lake Tahoe's groundwater.

All of the water provided by STPUD, Lukins, and Tahoe Keys water companies meet drinking water standards and is safe to drink.

Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board is the state's regulatory agency tasked with the facilitating the cleanup of the plume. Their investigations have identified only the Lake Tahoe Laundry Works dry cleaning facility as a source. The company operated during the 1970s in the South Y Shopping Center.

The board issued a "Cleanup and Abatement" order in May, 2017 to those with ties to the old company who are working on a plan with Lahontan. They were tasked only with cleanup at the old site, and not the PCE plume which has affected the eight wells.

STPUD, Lukins, and Tahoe Keys P.O.A. will be hosting the February 7 meeting and showing attendees what they are doing to make sure everyone has access to safe, clean drinking water.

For more information or to live stream the meeting, visit www.stpud.us/groundwater.