TAHOE CITY, Calif. — The Tahoe City Public Utility District on Wednesday, Sept. 10, celebrated the grand opening of its new $30 million West Lake Tahoe Regional Water Treatment Plant.

The one-million-gallon-per-day facility will provide a reliable source of drinking water from Lake Tahoe and serve as the primary supply for the McKinney-Quail water system. It will also deliver both drinking water and fire protection to the west shore communities of Tahoma and Homewood.

Previously, TCPUD relied on groundwater and a seasonal, temporary treatment plant. 

“The temporary plant was only ever intended to serve as a short-term fix,” said TCPUD manager Sean Barclay. “It needed to be started up every spring and decommissioned every fall.”

Groundwater supplies were also vulnerable to drought, which could lead to lower water levels. In 2013, the district began planning for a permanent, drought-resistant facility. 

“From the very beginning, the vision was clear,” Barclay said. “We needed a facility large enough to serve our community, to meet peak summer demands, and reliable enough to support firefighting efforts.”

The plant is designed to allow for future expansion to serve additional west shore communities. A major element of the project was relocating visible pump infrastructure from a public beach into Lake Tahoe, where submersible pumps now operate. The district collaborated with Thompson Builders Corporation, Crescent Diving, regulators, and the public to minimize environmental and visual impacts and protect the lake’s ecosystem.

One of the largest water system investments on the west shore, the project included constructing the treatment plant, removing temporary facilities, installing submersible pumps, replacing intake pipes, building a new pump station, and upgrading waterlines. 

“This surface water treatment plant is a crucial piece of our district’s strategy to regionalize our water system,” Barclaysaid.

At the end of the ceremony, attendees received water bottles filled with fresh water from the new plant. As everyone took their first sip together, the facility was officially inaugurated.