One Tahoe Keys well down due to uranium levels - no landscape irrigation allowed

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One well of the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) has been taken off line due to too much naturally occurring uranium in the water and there is high probability a second one will be shut down April 1, 2021.

Due to this situation, TKPOA has informed all homeowners that landscape irrigation will be banned in the Tahoe Keys from April 1 to November 1, 2021.

Uranium in Well #2 exceeded the Maximum Contaminate Level (MCL) of 30 parts-per-billion (ppb) for uranium and it was taken off line in December 2020.

"It is not uncommon to have elevated concentrations of uranium in areas with lots of granitic rock, such as the Tahoe Basin and throughout the Sierra Nevada," said Ben Letton of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board.

If the Division of Drinking Water (DDW) finds excessive levels of uranium in Well #3, it too will be required to be taken off line. Should that happen, just one well, the 50-year-old Well #1, will serve the Tahoe Keys commercial and residential properties.

The Tahoe Keys Water Company (TKWC) will be limited to Well #1 and just one other viable water source, the South Tahoe Public Utility District intertie.

Well #1 can currently produce a maximum of 1,478 GPM and the STPUD intertie can supply a maximum of 478 GPM. This is a shortfall on average of 836 GPM or 601,920 gallons during high demand hours.

In comparison, water use with TKWC during the peak season from May – October 2020
produced 305 million gallons of water; this is 89 percent of the 340 million gallons of water produced for the entire year.

The TKWC is also concerned because the two water sources are geographically located on the eastside of the Tahoe Keys. Heavy demands between the eastside and westside of the Tahoe Keys would cause the water pressure to drop below the required threshold of 25 ‘pounds per square inch’ (PSI) on the westside requiring
an ongoing, system-wide Boil Water notice.

Due to the real threat of not enough water to serve just personal water needs of residents, TKPOA sent a rule change to all water customers on March 13, starting a 28-day rule change review process. After 28 days the rule change goes to the TKPOA Board of Directors.

The landscape irrigation prohibition order will include all TKPOA common areas, all Cove Townhome landscaping, all single-family home landscaping, and commercial water customer properties landscaping.

"It will be the Property Owners responsibility to notify their landscape contractors, and tenants if their property is rented, that irrigating has been suspended. Any penalties or fines for violating the ‘Cease and Desist’ order
imposed by the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association Board of Directors will be the sole responsibility of the property owner," said Daniel Larson, Tahoe Keys Water Company/Water Quality Manager, in the letter to property owners.

Once a permanent solution is in place for the TKWC to provide the required water service levels to allow for landscape irrigation and meet all other water demands this rule can be modified or repealed by the Board of Directors, as appropriate.

Normally uranium in drinking water is removed with granulated activated carbon, with it absorbing impurities as the water passes through it. TKPOA and TKWC are working with MC Engineering to install temporary uranium treatment units at both Wells #2 and #3 to bring them back online in a limited capacity.

The Tahoe Keys is a 740-acre private marina community laced with eleven miles of inland waterways located at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe, California. Most of the 1529 members who own homes, townhouses or vacant lots.