UPDATE - JULY 18, 2025:
A proposed $850,000 settlement has been announced following the sewage spill that occurred in Carnelian Bay one year ago.
According to the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, the spill occurred when a subcontractor working on a Caltrans pedestrian crossing project punctured a 24-inch sewer force main within the Caltrans right-of-way along Highway 28.
The pipeline, operated by the North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD), serves as the main line transporting raw sewage out of the Lake Tahoe area.
The break led to an estimated 103,300 gallons of raw sewage spilling from the force main. Of that amount, approximately 18,300 gallons were contained and returned to the sanitary system. An estimated 85,000 gallons flowed through the parking lot and entered Lake Tahoe at Carnelian West Beach.
The Lahontan Water Board’s Prosecution Team alleges that the discharge violated permit conditions held by both NTPUD and Caltrans, the Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region, California Water Code Section 13376, and the federal Clean Water Act.
“To settle the alleged violations, the Lahontan Water Board’s Prosecution Team, NTPUD, and CalTrans have agreed to the imposition of an administrative civil liability of $850,000,” the agreement states.
Of the total amount, $5,000 would be paid to the State Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account. The remaining $845,000 would be suspended upon successful completion of the Secline Beach Supplemental Environmental Project.
The proposed settlement is available for public review and is open to comment through Friday, August 8. Comments may be submitted via email to RB6-Lahontan@waterboards.ca.gov.
Additional documents and details are available online at: https://www.ntpud.org
UPDATE - AUGUST 1, 2024:
Update, July 26:
The North Tahoe Public Utility District says in an update to their online post that Patton Landing Beach is now open to the public.
The update says that water quality tests taken for bacteria levels over the last several days at Patton Landing Beach and just east of the spill site have returned to normal and are now within California Beach water quality standards.
Given Patton Landing Beach testing normal the Placer County health advisory has reduced its health advisory area to the area between 5146 North Lake and 4600 North Lake Boulevards.
That area includes Carnelian West Beach and the immediate surrounding area extending west of the beach along the Lake Tahoe shoreline to Watson Creek.
Officials advise the health advisory is expected to remain in effect at least through Sunday, July, 28.
As part of that advisory Carnelian West Beach remains closed, due to water quality tests taken over the last several days at the spill site still showing higher levels of bacteria, which remain above California Beach water standards.
Officials want to again remind the public that coming in contact with the contaminated waters in the updated advisory areas can cause illness and you should take caution.
They say they will continue to test the water quality both in and outside the advisory zones, those results can take up to 24 hours to process but they will evaluate them as soon as they are made available.
Health advisories will be updated and or lifted after at least two days of the data showing the levels have consistently dropped below California Beach water quality standards.
Officials say that should water quality tests show bacteria levels rising in the health advisory areas or again at Patton Landing Beach or east of the spill the original health advisory and beach closures will be reinstated for the area.
The California Tahoe Conservancy and Placer County are continuing beach and site restoration, the TTPUD has already restored the initial site and removed all impacted landscaping.
Starting next week professional landscapers will work to replace the landscaping to restore the area to its original condition before the spill.
Officials have provided a website with information about the incident and what to do if you have come in contact with lake water in the health advisory zone since Friday, July 19: https://www.ntpud.org
Update, July 23:
In an updated online post, the North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD) says that Carnelian Bay West Beach and Patton Landing are still closed due to a health advisory that is still in effect.
NTPUD says the beaches remain closed due to high levels of bacteria present in the water after quality tests were taken over the weekend.
The health advisory covers the Lake Tahoe shoreline from 5500 North Lake Boulevard (Sahara Drive and Highway 28), and Southwest to 4600 North Lake Tahoe Boulevard. See the maps below for reference.
NTPUD wants to remind the public that any contact with the water in these areas could result in illness due to the high levels of bacteria.
Officials say they are taking water samples from the shoreline and in the area of the spill daily.
The results of those samples could take up to 24-hours to process and are being analyzed as soon as they are received by officials.
NTPUD says the health advisory will remain in effect until the bacteria levels in the water in the affected areas return to normal.
Officials advise that the NTPUD's public drinking water is not at risk and that the tap water is safe to drink.
Residents of private lakefront properties in the areas of concern that have lake intakes should be aware of these elevated bacteria levels and should contact Placer County Environmental Health with any concerns about their drinking water.
The California Tahoe Conversancy and Placer County Government alongside NTPUD are working to restore the spill site, including disinfection and clean-up of the impacted landscaping and beach areas affected.
Officials will continue to provide updates on the health advisory and closures as they become available based on the ongoing water test results.
Original Story, July 19:
A contractor working in Carnelian Bay hit the North Tahoe Public Utility District's (NTPUD) main sewer export pipeline on Thursday, July 18 at around 8 p.m.
In an online post from the Placer County Sheriff's Office, sewage from the pipeline overflowed into the parking lot and reached the lake at Carnelian Bay.
Carnelian Bay's West Beach is closed until further notice.
NTPUD crews have repaired the pipeline.
A portion of Highway 28 was also temporarily closed between Dollar Hill and Carnelian Woods for crews to clean up the area.
Crews were able to repair the line, but part of Highway 28 was closed while they were cleaning up.
