CHAPTER 12. Special Water Quality Provisions [13950. - 13952.5.]

Cal. Water Code - WAT 12.

in effect

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13950. Section 13950.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon any district in the Lake Tahoe Basin providing in any area of the district a sewer system and treatment facilities sufficient to handle and treat any resultant waste and transportation facilities sufficient to transport any resultant effluent outside the Lake Tahoe Basin, the further maintenance or use of cesspools or other means of waste disposal in such area is a public nuisance and the district shall require all buildings from which waste is discharged to be connected with the sewer system within a period of not less than 90 days from the completion of such system and facilities.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13951. Section 13951.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on or after January 1, 1972, waste from within the Lake Tahoe watershed shall be placed only into a sewer system and treatment facilities sufficient to handle and treat any such waste and transportation facilities sufficient to transport any resultant effluent outside the Lake Tahoe watershed, except that such waste may be placed in a holding tank which is pumped and transported to such treatment and transportation facilities. As used in this section “waste” shall not include solid waste refuse. The further maintenance or use of cesspools, septic tanks, or other means of waste disposal in the Lake Tahoe watershed on or after January 1, 1972, by any person, except as permitted pursuant to this section, is a public nuisance. The occupancy of any building from which waste is discharged in violation of this section is a public nuisance, and an action may be brought to enjoin any person from occupying any such building. This section shall not be applicable to a particular area of the Lake Tahoe watershed whenever the regional board for the Lahontan region finds that the continued operation of septic tanks, cesspools, or other means of waste disposal in such area will not, individually or collectively, directly or indirectly, affect the quality of the waters of Lake Tahoe and that the sewering of such area would have a damaging effect upon the environment. This section shall not be applicable to any area or areas within the Fallen Leaf Lake watershed in the event the regional board for the Lahontan region finds that with the export of toilet wastes by single-family residences or with the export of toilet and kitchen wastes with respect to any commercial properties, the continued use of septic tanks, cesspools, or other means of waste disposal in such area or areas for the treatment and disposal of the remaining wastes, will not, individually or collectively, directly or indirectly, affect the quality of the waters of Lake Tahoe, and that the sewering of such area or areas would have a damaging effect upon the environment. This section shall not affect the applicability of Section 13950.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13952. Section 13952.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13950 and 13951, water containing waste which has been placed in a sanitary sewer system for treatment and transportation outside of the Lake Tahoe Basin may be reclaimed in a pilot reclamation project to demonstrate the technological and environmental feasibility of using such water for beneficial purposes within the Lake Tahoe Basin in accordance with the provisions of the Water Reclamation Law (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 13500) of this division) and the provisions of this section. Prior to the initiation of any pilot reclamation project within the Lake Tahoe Basin, the reclaimer or reuser shall submit the project with technical data to the regional board for the Lahontan region for approval. Only those projects submitted before January 1, 1984, shall be considered. The technical data submitted shall demonstrate that such pilot reclamation project will not, individually or collectively, directly or indirectly, adversely affect the quality of the waters of Lake Tahoe. The intended operational life of the project shall be at least 10 years. No pilot reclamation project shall be initiated unless and until such regional board approves the project, and finds that such pilot reclamation project or projects will not, individually or collectively, directly or indirectly, adversely affect the quality of the waters of Lake Tahoe. The regional board for the Lahontan region shall place conditions on any approved project to include specification of maximum project size. The regional board for the Lahontan region may suspend or terminate an approved project for cause at any time.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13952.1. Section 13952.1.

(a) Notwithstanding Section 13951, the South Tahoe Public Utility District may provide recycled water only to prevent the destruction of its Luther Pass recycled water pump station from a catastrophic fire if all of the following conditions are met: (1) The district submits an engineering report to the Lahontan Regional Board and the State Department of Public Health, as required by that regional board and that department. (2) The Lahontan Regional Board, the State Department of Public Health, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency authorize the use of recycled water, and the specified area or areas in the immediate vicinity of the pump station where that recycled water may be used, only to prevent the destruction of the district’s Luther Pass recycled water pump station from a catastrophic fire. (3) The fire incident commander authorizes the use of the recycled water to prevent the destruction of the district’s Luther Pass recycled water pump station from a catastrophic fire, as authorized pursuant to this section. (b) For purposes of this section, “catastrophic fire” means a condition exists that will result in severe harm to life, property, and the environment if the use of recycled water as authorized pursuant to this section is not used, and all other methods to extinguish the fire have been exhausted.

Cal. Water Code - WAT § 13952.5. Section 13952.5.

The declared statewide interest in the preservation of Lake Tahoe, and the state and federal actions mandating the transportation of treated sewage effluent out of the Lake Tahoe watershed, requires that the law relating to the authority for prescribing waste discharge requirements for the effluent, and requirements pertaining to the storage of the effluent, the receiving waters, and the disposal areas, be clarified, and that law is hereby clarified and confirmed, to provide that, notwithstanding Section 13002 or any other provision of law, the regional board for the Lahontan region has exclusive authority to prescribe, under existing law, waste discharge requirements for treated sewage effluent transported out of the Lake Tahoe watershed to Alpine County within the Lahontan region, including requirements pertaining to the storage of the effluent, the receiving waters, and the disposal areas in Alpine County within the Lahontan region. However, any such action by that regional board is subject to review as provided in Sections 13320 and 13330.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026