lgriffo@tahoedailytribune.com
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection announced that $1 million in Clean Water Act grant funds provided by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency will be used to complete 11 projects, including two in Lake Tahoe, to reduce “nonpoint source pollution” and improve water quality across the state.
The EPA used to focus solely on point sources, i.e. chemicals being leached from pipes into the water as the water flowed through. They later realized nonpoint source water pollution was also a major issue.
Nonpoint source water pollution degrades Nevada’s water resources when rain, snowmelt and irrigation water flows over developed or disturbed land, carrying with it pollutants including oil, sediment, pesticides, bacteria and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus which can contribute to excess algae growth. This polluted water makes its way into Nevada’s waterways either directly or through storm drains, and