Alan Heyvaert - Desert Research Institute
Marc Leisenring - Geosyntec Consultants
Lake Tahoe has been designated an impaired water body under the Clean Water Act due to decades of documented clarity loss. This designation led to the development of the Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and the implementation of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) and green infrastructure to reduce fine sediment particle and nutrient loads to the lake. Research was conducted to evaluate how BMPs sized for the current 1-inch design storm may be impacted by a changing climate. Projected temperature and precipitation from a locally downscaled global climate model were applied to the Pollutant Load Reduction Model (PLRM), an existing stormwater planning and TMDL crediting tool. Changes in runoff volumes, rates and volumetric percent capture for BMPs located in three different areas of the Tahoe Basin were evaluated for current conditions and a near future period (2030-2060). The study found that within the next 30 years the duration of seasonal snowpack will be reduced, and the annual runoff volumes are expected to increase by 30-40%. This presentation will describe the approach and findings from this study along with recommendations for designing BMPs that will be more resilient to the effects of climate change and more effective at reducing fine sediment particles and nutrients.
2500 E 2nd St
Reno, NV 89595
United States