stpud

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Tahoe Public Utility District is seeking input from the public as they update the Groundwater Management Plan for the greater South Lake Tahoe area.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District Board of Directors extended the COVID-19 Rate Relief Program to assist residents and businesses that are facing financial
hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The District’s COVID-19 Rate Relief Program offers a 50% credit up to $3,000 for the next quarterly sewer bill for customers in need.

“We’re extending the rate relief program because our community just entered another phase of restrictions, which could cause economic hardship for our customers,” says Randy Vogelgesang, Board President.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Tahoe Public Utility District has issued a boil water alert for the North Upper Truckee neighborhood for all streets off North Upper Truckee between Highway 50 and Zuni Drive, and the Chiapa neighborhood. The boil water advisory is issued out of an abundance of caution and is expected to be resolved by Thursday evening or Friday morning.

I am voting for Margie Kovarik-Maxhimer for STPUD Board of Directors because she is a leader at heart, extremely thoughtful in seeing all sides of an issue before making decisions, and she does not leave anything undone. She will follow through with ideas and projects and give this board position her all, and be transparent and ethical the whole way through.

It's so important to choose a candidate with integrity and grit - two great qualities that Margie shows in all that she does!

- Julie Lucksinger - Lake Valley Properties, Inc.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) is organizing a District Board Candidate Forum for Wednesday, October 14, at 6:00 p.m. in the District Board Room.

The Forum is open to the public and is an opportunity for the community to attend and hear statements from each of the seven candidates running for a seat in November.

Each candidate will give an opening statement, answer questions posed by the audience and then provide a closing statement. The Forum is anticipated to last approximately two hours.

The Tahoe Climate Change Action Network (TCCAN) is hosting a week of online events with opportunities to connect individual, community and regional efforts to the global movement to ensure we are counting down to a better, carbon neutral future.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Over 300 locals and visitors took part in the 15th annual Tahoe Bike Challenge, biking 45,442 miles during the month-long event. The Tahoe-basin wide challenge was a friendly competition that annually encourages individuals and teams to track trips and miles completed on their bikes.

“Congratulations to all of the winners and riders,” TRPA Transportation Planner Kira Smith said. “Although this year looked a little bit different, we hope the Challenge inspires people to bike and walk through the rest of the year.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Election Day in 2020 is on November 3, just 134 days away. There will be several elected positions opening up in South Lake Tahoe and Meyers: South Tahoe Public Utility District, South Lake Tahoe City Council, Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Trustees, Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees, and the Lake Valley Fire Board of Directors.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There were eight candidates vying to fill a vacant spot on the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) Board of Directors with interviews held during a special meeting Thursday, June 11.

The board selected Duane Wallace to complete the term of the late Jim Jones.

Wallace is no stranger to STPUD having previously served 20 years on the Board, from 1991-2007 and 2014-2018.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Tahoe Public Utility District is accepting applications to appoint a Board Member to serve through December 4, 2020, the one left vacant with the passing of Jim Jones.

Interested applicants must be a registered voter within the District boundaries and can apply by submitting a letter of interest and resume to mguttry@stpud.us by Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It’s been a long winter for your yard. While your plants go dormant to cope with the colder weather, your sprinkler system can feel the effects of winter. Cracks in the pipes can lead to costly leaks, and damaged sprinkler heads can waste water and money.

Now is the perfect time to spruce up your irrigation system before you start watering. To get started, follow these four simple steps—inspect, connect, direct, and select:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, South Tahoe Public Utility District discovered food-grade oil in their Christmas Valley water tank during a routine inspection. Up to one gallon of food-grade oil leaked into the 200,000-gallon water tank due to a mechanical issue and the tank was immediately taken out of service. Results from the water samples collected from the top and
bottom of the water tank and two neighboring homes meet all drinking water standards.

There is no evidence that oil entered the water distribution system.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The ringing in of the new year was celebrated several different ways across the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

At Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe, a season-long celebration concluded with a New Year's Eve celebration attended by an estimated 6,500 people. The festivities included a 9:00 p.m. fireworks show on the gondola, concerts and special activities all day long.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Effective the end of November, the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) is ending an agreement with Alpine County regarding its recycled water operations.

STPUD has paid Alpine County an annual mitigation fee to address potential impacts caused by recycled water for 35 years, a fee that is approximately $100,000 per year.

STPUD says there have not been adverse impacts from the recycled water operations and the agreement is no longer necessary.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – When risk of catastrophic wildfire becomes too great, local electric utilities may turn off the power for extended periods of time. While your first thought might be eating all the ice cream in your freezer, don’t forget to think about your water use. South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) urges customers to conserve water during power outages to make sure there is enough water to fight a fire.

A geyser of water and natural gas on Senaca Drive in Meyers on August 6 brought out a full response from South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD), Southwest Gas (SWG), Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office (EDSO).

STPUD responded to the call of a water leak and upon arrival found water gushing from a broken water main. They also smelled gas so called SWG and 911. LVFPD and EDSO secured the area and helped evacuate residents and divert water to minimize property damage.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It will be a very long day for the City Council and City staff on Tuesday as they hold a budget workshop prior to the start of their regularly scheduled meeting on July 16 at 10:00 a.m.

The public is invited to attend

Their agenda:

1. Call to Order Mayor Laine

2. Public Comment Mayor Laine

3. Draft City Council Priorities Frank Rush
a. Review of priorities
b. Progress to date

4. General Overview of City Financial Position Debbie McIntyre
a. General Fund balance

The Optimist Club of South Lake Tahoe recently held a fun and successful Day in Paradise at Tahoe Paradise Park. Part of the day's festivities were the duck races with 156 decorated business entries.

The Business Duck Best of Show went to Lukin's Water Company and they chose to donate their $100 prize money to High Sierra Softball. First runner up was Base Camp Pizza, followed by SLT Mini-Storage with both of their entries in the top four, and honorable mentions went to Soroptimists International of Tahoe Sierra and Azul Latin Kitchen.

A 400-acre plume of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) has been found in some of the South Lake Tahoe groundwater and the agencies tasked with protecting the local drinking supply will be updating the community on cleanup efforts and the status of the plume on Wednesday, June 26 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the South Lake Tahoe City Council Chambers at the airport.

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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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive to discuss proposed rate increases.

Most of South Lake Tahoe’s water and sewer system was built in the 1950s and 1960s. Much of this infrastructure needs to be upgraded, repaired or replaced.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Customers of the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) may be looking at an annual increase on their water and sewer bills of 5.0 to 8.5 percent to cover costs of replacing aging infrastructure and enhancing local fire protection.

During last week's budget workshop, STPUD staff showed the Board what a rate increase could provide to their customers:

- Replacement or rehabilitation of 725,354 feet of steel pipe, water mains, wells and tanks
- Extension of the life of assets
- Replacement of 100,000 feet of pipe used for fire protection

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After Richard Solbrig told the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) Board of Directors he was retiring in January 2019 after 29 years with the agency the hunt was on for a new general manager.

It turned out they didn't have to look far.

John Thiel had been hired by Solbrig in 1992 as a staff engineer and he worked his way up through the ranks over the last 27 years until the Board chose him as the new general manager.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was found in drinking water wells in South Lake Tahoe near the "Y" in 1989, and it remains in the groundwater today, forming a containment plume from the intersection of Highway 50 and State Route 89 and heading toward Lake Tahoe through the Tahoe Keys.