At Lake Tahoe, Best Management Practices (BMPs) are defined as "structural and nonstructural practices proven effective in soil erosion control and management of surface runoff in the Lake Tahoe Region." Eroding soils and surface water runoff transport pollutants, sediment, and nutrients to the Region's rivers and streams, which lead to Lake Tahoe. Pursuant to subsection 25.5.A of the TRPA Code of Ordinances, all property owners in the Tahoe Basin are required to install infiltration facilities designed to accommodate the volume of runoff from a six-hour storm with a two-year recurrence probability (or a twenty year/one hour storm, which is approximately one inch of precipitation in an hour). These infiltration facilities are BMPs.

Best Management Practices vary from site-to-site and include temporary best management practices and permanent best management practices.

Sometimes BMPs are relatively simple, such as revegetating a bare slope behind a home, and sometimes they are more complex, such as a storm water pre-treatment system for a large parking area. However, whether simple or complex, BMPs are site-specific. Adequate BMP requirements and correct installation can be accurately determined with a site evaluation by a professional with your local resource conservation district or the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency:

• Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD)
• Nevada Resource Conservation District (NRCD)
• Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA)

In order for a BMP to be effective, it must be maintained and monitored.

Visit the Tahoe BMP web site for more information such as:

• Site Evaluation
• BMP Search Tool
• BMP Map Viewer