National Groundwater Awareness Week: 95% of drinking water in South Lake Tahoe is groundwater

It is the 23rd National Groundwater Awareness Week, March 6-12, a week of awareness, education, and advocacy focusing on one of the nation’s most precious resources.

Groundwater is a critical resource for the drinking water supply in California, especially during periods of drought when it is relied upon to back-stop reduced surface water supplies.

South Lake Tahoe sits at one end of a large body of water, has the Truckee River flowing through, but where does its drinking water come from?

Locally, groundwater has a long history of use as the primary source of drinking water dating back to the early 1900s, explained Shelly Thomsen of South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD).

"Currently, more than 95 percent of drinking water used within the South Tahoe area is from groundwater pumped from public and private wells," said Thomsen. STPUD provides drinking water pumped from 14 wells to over 14,000 homes.

California as a state depends on groundwater for nearly 46 percent of its public water, according to Dave Schulenberg, executive director of the California Groundwater Association.

"It also provides more than 1.4 million residents with safe and clean water through their private water wells. The United States uses 79.6 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater for public supply, private supply, irrigation, livestock, manufacturing, mining, thermoelectric power, and other purposes," said Schulenberg.

The exact number of wells within the South Lake Tahoe area is uncertain, however, based on state, county, and STPUD records it is estimated that there may be as many 500 drinking water wells, of which more than 300 have been confirmed as currently active.

Due to the Lake Tahoe area's high reliance on groundwater for drinking water use, groundwater is recognized as a critical resource.

To help protect and manage this resource, STPUD is recognized as the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for the greater portion of our local groundwater basin. As a GSA the District is responsible for developing and implementing a plan to sustainably manage this resource for all beneficial uses and users of groundwater within our groundwater basin.

For those California residents who rely on private water wells, Schulenberg's Association encourages people to use Groundwater Awareness Week to test, tend, and treat your private water system. An annual inspection of wells and their water can not only save users thousands of dollars in potential damages but can also protect the health of your family.

If you are interested in learning more about groundwater within the South Lake Tahoe area, visit the Groundwater Page of the District’s website at https://stpud.us/groundwater/. Contained there is the Groundwater Management Plan page for more information on public notices, documents and stakeholder workshops associated with our local area groundwater management plan.