1999 Environmental Excellence Awards

For Excellence in Water Quality: Nevada State Route 28 Water Quality Demonstration Project

Nevada Department of Transportation
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Harding Lawson Associates

Nevada Department of Transportation launched a water quality improvement planning program at Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is one of the clearest large lakes in the world, and, in order to preserve and protect the lake's environmental quality, a project to identify solutions to protect the water quality was initiated. The water quality demonstration project was located in the State Route 28 corridor, and lessons learned from this project resulted in a partnering process with 15 different agencies. The challenges of this demonstration project included transportation, maintenance, environmental quality, and agency coordination. Nevada Department of Transportation focused on these issues and provided for a three-year monitoring program that showed a reduction of pollutants in the lake. This multi-faceted approach resulted in a highly successful project meeting the challenges of improving our transportation system with solutions that minimize environmental impacts.

Project Contributors

Nevada Department of Transportation
Amir M. Soltani, P.E., Chief Hydraulic Engineer
Janet Bender, P.E., Senior Hydraulic Engineer
Mike Scott, P.E., Erosion Control Specialist
Harry Wright, Water Quality Specialist

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Jim Baetge, Executive Director
Paul Q. Pettersen, Senior Planner
Larry F. Benoit, Associate Planner

Harding Lawson Associates
Gerry Hester, P.E., Managing Principal
Mark Forest, P.E., Project Manager
Matt Johnson, Project Engineer
Joe Rumann, Senior Hydrologist

Return to Contents