Indicator
Suspended Sediment Load (Surface Runoff)
Basics
Suspended Sediment Load (Surface Runoff)
Suspended Sediment Load in Runoff
Intermediate Result
Program
Kilogram (kg)
1. Reduce total annual nutrient and suspended sediment loads as necessary to achieve loading thresholds for tributaries and littoral and pelagic Lake Tahoe.
2. Tributaries - Reduce total annual nutrient and suspended sediment load to achieve loading thresholds for littoral and pelagic Lake Tahoe.
3. Littoral - Decrease sediment load as required to attain turbidity values not to exceed three nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). In addition, turbidity shall not exceed one NTU in shallow waters of the lake not directly influenced by stream discharges.
4. Deep Water (Pelagic) Lake Tahoe – Reduce fine sediment particles (inorganic particle size less than 16 micrometers in diameter), total phosphorus, and total nitrogen in order to achieve the following long-term water quality standards for deep water (pelagic zone) Lake Tahoe:
a) The annual average deep water transparency as measured by Secchi disk shall not be decreased below 29.7 meters (97.4 feet), the average levels recorded between 1967 and 1971 by the University of California, Davis.
b) Maintain annual mean phytoplankton primary productivity at or below 52gmC/m2/yr.
Kilograms/year of fine sediment particles.
This Indicator is reported in the following LT Info areas:
Status
Suspended Sediment Surface Runoff Chart.JPG
Fine Sediment Particle load measured at outfalls around the Tahoe Basin. Total for “consistent sites” refers to sites that were monitored in both 2014 and 2015. Sites that have no data for 2014 were only installed for water year 2015. Source: Tahoe Resource Conservation District
Name Options
Suspended Sediment Load Stormwater
General

Program Regional Stormwater Monitoring

Approach

Monitoring is guided by the RSWMP Framework and Implementation Guidance document. During water year 2014 five catchments were monitored for continuous flow and turbidity and sampled for water quality at eleven monitoring stations: the outfalls of the five selected catchments, and the inflows to and outflows from selected BMPs located in three of those catchments. Three additional catchment outfalls were monitored in water year 2015. The catchments were chosen because of their direct hydrologic connectivity to Lake Tahoe, diversity of urban land uses, range of sizes, and a reasonably equitable distribution among the participating jurisdictions. BMP effectiveness sites were selected because of their potential efficacy in treating storm water runoff characteristic of the Lake Tahoe Basin, and the broad interest in, and lack of conclusive data regarding the efficiency of the selected BMPs in reducing runoff volumes and pollutant loads.

Partners

Associated Programs data not provided.