Protecting Nevada's waters

At risk: the streams that feed Lake Tahoe and keep it clean

Right now, thousands of miles of streams and hundreds of acres of wetlands are vulnerable to pollution and development. Polluters can dump garbage into streams, developers can pave over wetlands to build strip malls, and the cops on the environmental beat can’t do a thing about it. And it’s not just small streams and wetlands that will suffer — these waterways are the same ones that feed the Carson River and Lake Tahoe, and help to keep them clean.

Polluters poke holes in Clean Water Act

For nearly 40 years, the Clean Water Act has helped Nevada — and states across the nation — care for and clean up our waterways. Thanks in large part to this groundbreaking law, rivers are no longer so polluted that they catch fire, as Ohio’s Cuyahoga infamously did in 1969. Still, much work remains to be done. Our report, “Wasting our Waterways” found that polluters dumped more than 200,000 pounds of toxic chemicals into our nation’s waters in a single year. We need to do more to protect our waters — not less. 

Unfortunately, over the past decade, polluters and irresponsible developers have used the courts to put Clean Water Act protections in legal limbo, arguing that the law doesn’t cover the smaller streams and wetlands that feed and clean the Carson River, Lake Tahoe, and our drinking water supply. They want to throw out nearly 40 years of Clean Water Act protection, leaving polluting industries free to dump into our streams and pave over our wetlands without asking for permission.

The EPA can protect Lake Tahoe

Since 2006, we have been urging Congress to protect the Carson River, Lake Tahoe and all of our water by simply declaring that the Clean Water Act applies to all of Nevada’s — and America’s — waters. But, stymied at every turn by industry lobbyists and powerful special interests, we turned instead to the EPA for action. 

In April, Administrator Lisa Jackson announced a plan to restore protections to all of our waters. But polluters’ allies in Congress won’t give up — and now they’re threatening to stop the EPA from doing its job. 

At the same time, powerful corporate interests are preparing for battle: ExxonMobil threatened “legal warfare” if the EPA moves forward with its plan to restore Clean Water Act protections. 

Our plan to defend Lake Tahoe

We refuse to let polluters and their allies in Congress open our precious waterways to more dumping and development. We’re bringing together Nevadans from all walks of life to protect the Carson River, Lake Tahoe, and our drinking water supply. From anglers to bird-watchers, clergy to scientists, local officials to ordinary families, we all have a stake in keeping our water clean. 

Together with our national federation, we delivered more than 100,000 petitions to the EPA, urging them to stand strong in defense of our waters. But if we’re going to push past ExxonMobil and other powerful polluters, we’re going to need everyone who cares about Nevada’s waters to get involved. Join our campaign by sending the EPA a message today.