Final EPA Approved Lake Tahoe TMDL Report

    Download the Final Lake Tahoe TMDL Report  [351 Pgs. - 7.25 MB]
    Download the EPA Approval TMDL Letter  [3 Pgs. - 110 KB]
    Download the Errata Sheet  [2 Pgs. - 80 KB]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved NDEP’s Lake Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load Report (TMDL) submittal at the 15th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on August 16, 2011. This Final EPA approved version has been revised from the California adopted version for which EPA approval was gained the same day. The revisions were necessary to correct errors, clarify Nevada’s regulatory structure and approach to implementation and emphasize that the proposed implementation timelines may need to be adjusted for a variety of reasons, but particularly the availability of future funding. The errata sheet indicates all the differences between these versions. However, it is important to emphasize that despite the submittal and approval of distinct reports, the Lake Tahoe TMDL effort represents a common and consistent plan between the States of Nevada and California to address the clarity decline within Lake Tahoe.

NDEP would like to extend its thanks and gratitude to all those who participated and provided input during the TMDL development process. Your involvement has made this plan the best it could possibly be. We are eager to eager to carry forward the relationships forged during this process to implement the TMDL.

Response to Comments Received on the Draft Lake Tahoe TMDL

    NDEP's Responses to Comments Document  [87 pgs. - 11.5MB]

The draft Lake Tahoe TMDL Report was released for public comment on July 9, 2010 and closed on September 10, 2010. NDEP’s Responses to Comments received on the draft Lake Tahoe TMDL Report are now available and accessible below. The Responses to Comments document addresses only those comments specifically directed to NDEP or jointly to NDEP and the Lahontan Water Board. Please note that a number of comments were directed solely to the Lahontan Water Board; responses to those comments are available on the Water Board’s website.

Based upon the comments received, the following modifications were made to the Final Lake Tahoe TMDL Report:

The document was revised to make consistent use of the terms “load allocations” and “wasteload allocations” in the context of the urban stormwater source category; assign the urban stormwater jurisdictions to which these terms apply; and to indicate that at any future designation of a nonpoint source (ie., load allocation) as a point source (waste load allocation) shall not require re-opening of the TMDL.

Section 10.1.2 – Language was added to clarify how the timeframe to achieve the transparency standard was estimated to be 65 years.

Section 10.3 – This section was revised to clarify the process for assigning load and wasteload allocations with respect to the urban uplands source category.

Section 10.4 – This section was revised to incorporate and describe the expression of daily pollutant loads, which is necessary for United States Environmental Protection Agency approval.

Section 11.2 – A new subsection (11.2.5) was added to clarify and describe the important role of the private sector in implementing the TMDL and section 11.2.4 Nevada Local Government Agencies was revised to include a discussion of the twelve existing General Improvement Districts.

Section 11.3.1 – The subsection under Urban Upland implementation entitled Performance, Compliance Assessment, and Reporting has been revised to more clearly describe the process for evaluating, tracking, and reporting urban upland pollutant load reductions.

Section 11.3.2 – Section has been revised to clarify that in addition to tracking and reporting load reductions from activities, forest management agencies must demonstrate no increase in pollutant loads will occur from proposed activities for which load reductions are not an objective.

Appendix C has been added which contains a compilation of the assumptions used in the Lake Tahoe TMDL development.

In addition, a number of other language changes were made to correct, clarify, or address minor comments made to the draft report. No revisions were made to the Lake Tahoe TMDL Technical Report (June 2010). The Final Lake Tahoe TMDL must go through the final approval/adoption processes of both states prior to being sent to the United States Environmental Protection Agency for approval. Please direct additional questions or comments to .