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North Tahoe PUD fined nearly $240K for 2010 sewage spill

Staff report

TAHOE VISTA, Calif. andamp;#8212; The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board last week fined the North Tahoe Public Utility District $239,081 for allowing thousands of gallons of sewage to fall into Lake Tahoe in December of 2010.According to previous reports, the spill occurred when a power outage caused by a severe snow storm on Dec. 19, 2010, compromised NTPUDandamp;#8217;s main generator. A backup generator andamp;#8212; installed at the Dollar Hill Main Sewer Pump Station in Tahoe City that summer andamp;#8212; also failed, causing a back-up in the piping system, which led sewage to seep out of a manhole located on Highway 28 near the base of Dollar Hill.While it was initially reported about 61,000 gallons of sewage had escaped the manhole, and of that, a small portion had reached the lake, it was determined that approximately 129,500 gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater flowed into Lake Tahoe, the water board said last week, according to various media reports.According to previous reports, a full clean-up of the site was performed, and tests afterward came back clean.Still, before handing down the fine after a public hearing Thursday in South Lake Tahoe, the Lahontan water board said the PUD deserved the penalty, according to published reports, because of the potential harm the spill could have caused, both to the public and to Lake Tahoeandamp;#8217;s famed clarity.

Read he Sun’s initial story about the spill here:https://www.sierrasun.com/article/20110113/NEWS/110119927andamp;parentprofile=search


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