Association honored for drinking-water protection

The Tahoe Water Suppliers Association, a Lake Tahoe-based partnership made up of eight California and Nevada municipal water agencies, was honored on Jan. 19 for taking significant strides related to the protection of drinking water source issues in the basin.

Allen Biaggi, Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, presented the Wendell McCurry Excellence in Water Quality Award to the group at their quarterly meeting recently at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

TWSA was recognized for several key programs including: a consolidated water quality and water conservation education program, the hosting of the 2005 Lake Tahoe Drinking Water Forum, and the group's active role in working with other groups and agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Some of these collaborative efforts include contributing the inclusion of a buffer around drinking water intakes in the draft Lake Tahoe Shorezone Ordinance amendments, participation by TWSA in the Pathway 2007 forum, and the revision of the Lake Tahoe Basin Spill Reporting Response Plan.

Most recently, TWSA entered into a Project Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create a Surface Water Risk Assessment Tool. This will allow the public water systems to make informed decisions about the use of their source water during spill incidents and the risks of activity near the intake.