In the News

Tahoe Conservation Agencies Offer Workshop to Building Industry
date posted: March 24 2004

By John Cobourn, Water Resource Specialist; and Heather Segale, Environmental Education Coordinator; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Contractors, engineers, architects and landscapers looking to increase their client base at Lake Tahoe are invited to attend the Fifth Annual Best Management Practices Workshop 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., April 1 in the theatre of the Lake Tahoe Community College, South Lake Tahoe.

This workshop is held each year prior to the start of the building season. It teaches how Best Management Practices (BMPs) work and how to select the most appropriate BMPs for a particular site. Contractors who complete the full-day course with a passing grade on the final test are listed on the “BMP Resources List.” BMP site evaluators hand out this list to homeowners each summer during BMP site evaluations. Over 2,000 of these site evaluations are completed each summer, making the art of professional BMP installation a marketable service in the Tahoe Basin.

The workshop is presented each year by the Partners in Conservation (PIC), a group of five conservation agencies who banded together in 2000. PIC’s goal is to help all Tahoe Basin property owners meet TRPA’s requirement to install the BMPs needed to protect the lake’s famed water clarity. These five agencies are the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the TRPA Erosion Control Team, and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.

PIC agencies offer free BMP site evaluations to property owners who call to request one. PIC staff tell property owners what specific BMPs they need to install on their property. This increases the demand for BMPs. By training professional contractors how to implement BMPs that will meet our local water quality ordinances, the workshop increases the supply of knowledgeable installers. This should help bring down the cost of BMP installation and help ensure quality workmanship. Homeowners who pass TRPA’s final inspection receive a “Certificate of BMP Completion,” which becomes a valuable commodity if they ever decide to sell the property.

The workshop will include an introduction to the big picture of how BMPs should fit into an “integrated landscape.” Best management practices must be designed for the specific type of soil, the slope, the type of vegetation, and the degree of wildfire risk on the property, among other factors. The creation of effective defensible space is always an important consideration for homeowners. At the workshop, contractors will be trained to implement both water quality and wildfire protection practices in ways that are complementary and aesthetically pleasing.

The four main classes of water quality BMPs are the mulching and vegetation of bare soils; the stabilization of eroding slopes; the paving of eroding, unpaved driveways; and the conveyance of runoff from roofs and pavement to systems that will infiltrate the water into the soil on site. A fifth class of BMPs is known as the Temporary BMPs. These are required anytime soil is disturbed by construction or grading activity. Since all sites differ, the instructors will address ways to install BMPs on “difficult sites.” There will also be sessions on permitting rules and appropriate landscape maintenance, including proper fertilization methods.

Contractors who have attended in previous years are encouraged to attend again, or to send a colleague from their firm. Yearly attendance is encouraged because practices are often upgraded from year to year, and new, innovative practices are introduced. Contractors must attend each year if they wish to remain on the “BMP Resource List.”

The cost for the class is $75 and covers the full day of instruction, including an outdoor hands-on session, lunch and refreshments. In addition, attendees receive a copy of the “Home Landscaping Guide for Lake Tahoe” and a copy of the contractor’s BMP manual, “How to Implement BMPs on Private Properties at Lake Tahoe.” Builders, paving and landscape contractors, architects, engineers, realtors, fire inspectors, and county and city building inspectors will find the workshop especially helpful. For more information or to register, please call University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4150. Register soon, as space is filling up quickly.

Watch for “The Lake Tahoe Report” in the North Lake Bonanza each Friday, and tune in to KOLO-TV News Channel 8 Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to learn more. “The Lake Tahoe Report” is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service. For more information, contact Heather Segale, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4138, or logon to www.lteec.org or www.unce.unr.edu.