FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Through a new partnership with DRINK TAHOE TAP, customers asked to buy reusable water bottles to help protect Lake Tahoe

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. (July 2, 2020) - In partnership with the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association, UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), Tahoe Fund and Take Care Tahoe, Raley’s in Incline Village has become the first major Tahoe area business to encourage their customers not to buy single-use water bottles. Instead, the grocer is asking its patrons to consider purchasing DRINK TAHOE TAP branded reusable Klean Kanteen water bottles.

Reusable water bottles at Raley'sIn addition to making the bottles available to customers for purchase, Raley’s has incorporated signage from the Take Care Tahoe campaign in their in-store displays where single-use plastic water bottles are shelved to help educate customers about the impacts of single-use and microplastics on the environment and specifically the Lake Tahoe Watershed. The signage also advises customers how they can find water refill stations throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.

“With 99.994% purity, Tahoe tap water has been voted the best tasting water in the country by the National Rural Water Association,” said Madonna Dunbar, executive director of the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association. “The DRINK TAHOE TAP initiative was designed to reduce the use of single-use plastics and increase accessibility to drinking water filling stations throughout the region.

We’ve historically provided grants to incentivize businesses to install water filling stations, and we’re excited to be working with Raley’s to encourage people to purchase and use reusable water bottles instead of single-use versions that end up in the landfill or worse - in Lake Tahoe.”

Recent research from TERC has shown that micro-plastics were present at every beach tested around the lake. To respond to this and reduce the impacts of litter and micro-plastic pollution on the Lake Tahoe watershed, a pilot project has been developed with the intention of reducing sourcewater plastic pollution. The goal of the project is to raise the level of public awareness about Non-Point Source (NPS) pollution and its effect on Lake Tahoe’s famed water quality.

“It is incredible to have a partner like Raley’s who puts the environment and our community ahead of their own profits,” said Heather Segale, education and outreach director for the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. “We hope that other local grocery stores will be interested in joining the effort to promote reusable water bottle sales as an alternative to single-use plastics.”

To expand the program, students from the Incline High School AP Environmental Science class will work with the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA), UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), and Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships (SWEP) to conduct outreach to local grocery store managers and staff, conduct surveys to determine why individuals choose single-use plastics and to promote alternatives, deliver alternative reusable water bottles, and utilize both local media and social media to promote this project.

Learn more about DRINK TAHOE TAP and where to find water refill stations throughout the Lake Tahoe basin at https://takecaretahoe.org/take-action/tahoe-tap/.

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About Drink Tahoe Tap®

Tap water is better than bottled water when it comes to people’s health, wallets, and the environment. Municipal water systems are much more rigorously tested and monitored than the bottled water industry. Tahoe Tap is simply the best. Sourced from rain and snowmelt, then minimally treated using state-of the-art disinfection processes, Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) water purveyors deliver this award-winning drinking water to your home or business, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, for less than a penny per gallon. Whether you are a local or someone visiting our region, we urge you to kick the bottled water habit and Drink Tahoe Tap® instead.

About Raley’s

Raley’s is a privately-owned and family-operated customer experience grocery company headquartered in West Sacramento, CA. Raley’s stores are the destination for the best fresh products, affordable offerings and personalized service. The company’s commitment to infusing life with health and happiness by changing the way the world eats, one plate at a time, has made it a trusted source for food, nutrition, and wellness. Raley’s strives to enhance transparency and education in the food system in order to help customers make more informed, healthy food choices. Raley’s operates 127 stores under six banners: Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source, Market 5-ONE-5 and Raley’s O-N-E Market. Making healthier offerings accessible to everyone, Raley’s has expanded beyond the store to operate grocery curbside pick-up and delivery in their nearby communities. Visit at www.raleys.com.

About Take Care Tahoe

Take Care Tahoe is a collective group of more than 50 organizations that love Lake Tahoe and want to help more people connect with this beautiful natural environment. Through regional collaboration, the team has created a clever and engaging stewardship campaign that reminds residents and visitors to take care of Tahoe. The takecaretahoe.org website is a one-stop resource for all things related to environmental education events, volunteer opportunities and messages in the Tahoe Region, with information on more than 50 organizations and more than 300 events a year.

About UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) is dedicated to interdisciplinary research and education to advance the knowledge of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and their interactions within natural and developed Earth systems, and to communicate science-informed solutions worldwide. In summer 2018, TERC researchers conducted the first sampling around Lake Tahoe to quantify microplastics in beach sand and found microplastics in every sample. TERC educates the next generation of leaders and inspires environmental stewardship in thousands of students, community members, and visitors annually through its outreach centers and programs. See https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu for more information.

Press Contact:

Jess Weaver, JVP Communications for Take Care Tahoe
(530) 448-6981 or jessica@jvpcommunications.com