Updates on the South Lake Tahoe PCE contamination at public meeting

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 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.

On March 6, 2019, there will be a follow-up to the November 2018 public meeting at the Lake Tahoe Airport to provide an update on PCE in the aera and recent actions taken by the Water Suppliers to protect public water supplies. The University Of Nevada Desert Research Institute will describe the groundwater model used to evaluate different clean-up scenarios. Initial findings and results will be presented. The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board will discuss recent activities taken to assess the contaminant.

Since that point in time several different agencies have been working on the problem, first by identifying the source and now with plans to have those responsible pay for the removal of the contaminant.

In South Lake Tahoe, the primary source of drinking water is groundwater. Although the PCE first contaminated groundwater in the 1970s, it still remains in groundwater and is now believed to cover more than 400 acres and has closed five water wells of the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association and Lukins Brothers Water Company.

All of the water provided by the Water Suppliers meet drinking water standards and is safe to drink and both Lukins and Tahoe Keys POA are able to get water from South Tahoe Public Utility District when needed.

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.

Presently, five public drinking water wells have been impacted by the PCE Plume.
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 found. The Water Suppliers are working together to protect and sustain our groundwater.

Find out more at the public meeting on Wednesday, March 6, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Airport in the City Council Chambers at 1901 Airport Road, South Lake Tahoe.

For more information or to watch a recording of the public meetings, visit www.stpud.us/groundwater.