STATELINE, Nev. – The next meeting of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, October 22 starting at 8:30 a.m. with the legal committee starting things off. The Governing Board portion begins no earlier than 10:15 a.m.

A settlement with Barton is on the legal committee’s agenda, and, if approved, is part of the consent calendar for the board.

TTPA sttaff is recommending that the Governing Board approve the proposed Settlement Agreement under which Barton Healthcare System (“Barton”) agrees to pay $50,000 to Douglas County for the failure of required Best Management Practices (“BMPs”) at their proposed hospital site in Nevada. The BMP failure resulted in the discharge of sediment from the site. Douglas County would use the funds for stormwater detention enhancements to the infiltration basin located adjacent to the Meadowbrook Apartments on Kahle Drive.

According to the staff report, Barton submitted a BMP plan for the construction site after the old Lakeside Inn was torn down on May 1, 2024 and TRPA approved it on June 11, 2024. TRPA conducted inspections on September 24, 2024, and November 14, 2024, during which staff met with Barton’s contractors and expressed concerns regarding the adequacy of the BMPs and the need for additional measures to capture and infiltrate more water onsite. TRPA requested that Barton submit an augmented BMP plan to improve stormwater management and prevent runoff. Barton, however, did not submit an augmented plan until January 28, 2025, with additional revisions provided on February 4, 2025, according to the report.

TRPA inspected the site multiple times between December 2024 and February 2025 – specifically on December 24, 2024; January 7, 2025; January 9, 2025; and February 1, 2025 – and observed uncontrolled runoff from the Site during each inspection. TRPA staff met again with Barton and its contractor on January 15, 2025, to address the continued BMP failures. During this meeting, Barton committed to installing additional BMPs within ten days to prevent further discharges. Despite this commitment, the augmented BMP plan was not submitted until January 28, 2025 – thirteen days after the meeting – which did not allow sufficient time for implementation before additional runoff events occurred on January 31 and February 1, 2025.

On February 1, 2025, TRPA issued a cease-and-desist letter to Barton after observing additional discharges from the site. TRPA determined that Barton’s management of the Barton Site between December 2024 and February 2025 resulted in violations of the TRPA Code and/or permit conditions.

Under the TRPA Code of Ordinances, construction sites must be stabilized and winterized and must maintain erosion controls and BMPs to prevent discharges into the waters of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

If approved, the settlement states that Barton would transfer $50,000 to Douglas County within 30 days. If not paid by that time, there would be a $100,000 judgement against Barton.

Also on the agenda:

Draft Policy Recommendations for Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin Project Staff Report

 Forest Health & Water Quality Thresholds Update Staff Report

For the complete agenda and instructions on how to participate, visit https://www.trpa.gov/governing-board-documents-october-22-2025-hybrid-meeting/.