PUBLIC LAW 106-506—NOV. 13, 2000
114 STAT. 2351
Public Law 106-506
106th Congress
An Act
To promote environmental restoration around the Lake Tahoe basin.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "Lake Tahoe Restoration Act".
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS. —Congress finds that—
(1) Lake Tahoe, one of the largest, deepest, and clearest
lakes in the world, has a cobalt blue color, a unique alpine
setting, and remarkable water clarity, and is recognized nationally and worldwide as a natural resource of special significance;
(2) in addition to being a scenic and ecological treasure.
Lake Tahoe is one of the outstanding recreational resources
of the United States, offering skiing, water sports, biking,
camping, and hiking to millions of visitors each year, and
contributing significantly to the economies of California,
Nevada, and the United States;
(3) the economy in the Lake Tahoe basin is dependent
on the protection and restoration of the natural beauty and
recreation opportunities in the area;
(4) Lake Tahoe is in the midst of an environmental crisis;
the Lake's water clarity has declined from a visibility level
of 105 feet in 1967 to only 70 feet in 1999, and scientific
estimates indicate that if the water quality at the Lake continues to degrade, Lake Tahoe will lose its famous clarity
in only 30 years;
(5) sediment and algae-nourishing phosphorous and
nitrogen continue to flow into the Lake from a variety of
sources, including land erosion, fertilizers, air pollution, urban
runoff, highway drainage, streamside erosion, land disturbance,
and ground water flow;
(6) methyl tertiary butyl ether—
(A) has contaminated and closed more than one-third
of the wells in South Tahoe; and
(B) is advancing on the Lake at a rate of approximately
9 feet per day;
(7) destruction of wetlands, wet meadows, and stream zone
habitat has compromised the Lake's ability to cleanse itself
of pollutants;
(8) approximately 40 percent of the trees in the Lake Tahoe
basin are either dead or dying, and the increased quantity
Nov. 13, 2000
[H.R. 3388]
Lake Tahoe
Restoration Act.
Forests and
forest protection.
California.
Nevada.
79-194O-00 - 10:QL3Part4
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