Recycled water spills into Grass Lake Creek

Submitted by paula on Thu, 05/09/2019 - 8:29pm

5.10.19 Update: On Thursday, May 9, 2019, recycled water from a South Tahoe Public Utility District Luther Pass storage tank leaked into Grass Lake Creek. Water samples collected from Grass Lake Creek immediately following the spill showed no change in coliform bacteria, meaning the spill caused no significant impact to water quality. A leak from the overflow pipe inside the tank was the cause of the spill. The tank has been drained and taken off-line until repairs can be made.

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Recycled water from a South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) storage tank leaked into Grass Lake Creek in Christmas Valley on Thursday, May 9, 2019,

The tank is located off Grass Lake Road.

STPUD immediately responded and worked through the morning to stop the spill. They posted warning signs along the creek, collected water samples and capped the over-flow pipe

The storage tank in question had been filled to capacity over-night for a structural inspection the next day. “This morning when we returned to do the inspection, the tank level had fallen by 10 inches and there was water coming out of the tank’s overflow pipe,” said Julie Ryan, Engineering Manager at STPUD.

The water that leaked is highly treated wastewater that was headed to Alpine County for use by ranchers and the District for irrigation. All wastewater in the Lake Tahoe Basin is required by law to be exported out of the basin. STPUD pumps an average of 3.9 million gallons per day of recycled water to Alpine County.

They get the water over the hill by running pumps during off-peak energy hours to lower electric bills and storing recycled water in tanks during peak energy hours.

Recycled water is clear, odorless and can contain higher levels of nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous, than drinking water.

“We received field results from the lab with non-detect levels for ammonia and are
awaiting results for coliform bacteria before removing the warning signs from the creek. The tank is being drained and taken out of service until we can determine what caused the leak” said Ryan.