SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The two large emergency retention ponds at the corner of Black Bart Avenue and Pioneer Trail are currently storing approximately 12 million gallons of wastewater.
Something unknown entered the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) collection system, flowed into the plant, and killed the microorganisms that are instrumental in the plant for treatment process in August.
Over the past several weeks, the biological treatment process at STPUD’s wastewater treatment plant has experienced operational challenges. Their Operations Department has worked hard over that time to recover the microorganisms. And the good news is that they are ready to start bringing back the water stored in the basins at the corner of Black Bart Ave and Pioneer Trail!
The drawdown of the basins is anticipated to occur at roughly 1 million gallons per day, taking 2-4 weeks (dependent on flow and plant health). This will occur while we are also treating incoming wastewater from the community.
As water levels in the basins decrease, settled solids may become exposed. This may temporarily increase odors, particularly during cleaning. STPUD says they recognize these odors are unpleasant. Their team is working diligently to restore full treatment capacity and complete this work as safely and efficiently as possible.