The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has received a $770,489 grant from the State Water Board for a program that will help homeowners implement erosion-control measures - then measure how well they are working.

The TRPA program will bring the erosion-control measures, known as Best Management Practices or BMPs, to 230 residential and 40 commercial or industrial properties in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The agency will provide technical assistance to the property owners, who will be expected to pay for labor and materials for the BMPs, said TRPA spokesman Dennis Oliver.

The program also includes measurements of how well the BMPs are keeping sediment and nutrients out of Lake Tahoe. A variety of properties will be chosen to participate in the program - lakefront vs. mountainside lots, for example - and different erosion-control techniques will be tested, Oliver said.

"We'll know more about what works," Oliver said, adding that the program will help convince skeptics that BMPs actually do some good.

The program is expected to last for about two years. Property owners who are interested in participating are asked to call the TRPA's BMP section at (775) 589-5202.

The state funding for the BMP program was announced Wednesday, along with a $650,000 grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District for a Homewood Creek watershed improvement program, according to a statement from state Sen. Dave Cox.