(The Center Square) – The Nevada Senate has passed a bill addressing the microplastic problem in Lake Tahoe.
Senate Bill 324 prevents the sale or distribution of plastic water bottles over four liters in any community around the lake.
Sen. Melanie Scheible, D-Las Vegas, introduced the bill, and the state senators last week approved it 16 to 4, with one person absent. The legislation has gone to the Assembly for its consideration.
This bill states that the local board of health or health department with jurisdiction in an area is responsible for enforcing this law.
The first violation within a year of this bill’s proposal would result in a warning. However, if people are caught a second or third time, they would have to pay a fine of $100 and $200, respectively.
A fourth violation within a year results in a $500 fine.
Lake Tahoe is a freshwater lake situated on the border of California and Nevada. According to the Tahoe Fund, an estimated 15 million people visit the lake annually. Almost 60,000 people live in the area year-round.
A 2023 study revealed that Lake Tahoe contained high levels of microplastics in its water. The study said the lake contained 5.4 plastic particles per cubic meter, which is comparable to the levels found in ocean garbage patches.
South Lake Tahoe, a city around the lake, banned single-use plastic water bottles less than one gallon in 2024.
Keep Tahoe Blue, an environmental advocacy nonprofit, celebrated the passage of the ban in the Senate.
“When plastic bottles end up as litter, they break down into microplastics that are near impossible to remove, forever polluting Tahoe. We’re grateful for the bipartisan backing of the bill in the Senate, and look forward to working toward a similar outcome in the Assembly,” the nonprofit said on X.
According to the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, other environmental concerns the lake faces are “loss of water clarity,” “impact of climate change” and “impact of non-native species.”
