The Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) is a Lake Tahoe based partnership comprised of California and Nevada municipal water agencies, dedicated to providing clean and safe drinking water. Our water source is Lake Tahoe, allowing us to deliver some of the finest drinking water in the world.
Cave Rock Water System
Edgewood Water Company
Glenbrook Water Cooperative
Incline Village General Improvement District
Kingsbury General Improvement District
North Tahoe Public Utility District
Round Hill General Improvement District
Skyland Water Company
South Tahoe Public Utility District
Tahoe City Public Utility District
Zephyr Water Utility
Lakeside Park Association
Email: DrinkTahoeTap (at) IVGID.org
Phone: 775-832-1284
The mission of the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association is to develop, implement and maintain an effective watershed control program in order to satisfy recommendations in watershed sanitary surveys, advocate for the protection of Lake Tahoe as a viable source of drinking water, and to satisfy additional state and federal requirements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbC-5vL1pw
Tahoe Tap is simply the best. Sourced from rain and snowmelt, then minimally treated using state-of the-art disinfection processes, 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.
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. Food & Water Watch published a report “Take Back the Tap,” which supports findings that bottled water is generally not cleaner, safer or healthier than tap water. Consumers can offset the waste and pollution associated with the single use plastics created by the bottled water industry during production and transportation, with this simple choice.
There are 160,000 public water systems in the United States. 60 systems possess ‘filtration avoidance’ permits. 6 of those systems are at Lake Tahoe; all are TWSA members. This status is only given to systems with outstanding, pure source water, before treatment.
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.
Drink Tahoe Tap, UC Davis, Take Care Tahoe and Sierra Watershed Education Partnership announce the Take Care Micro Plastics Education Project is launched. New educational materials, information and graphics are available as part of a regional litter reduction educational campaign. Grant Fund supported by Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) this project aims to provide action oriented consumer solutions to single use plastic litter. To view the campaign visit: https://takecaretahoe.org/take-action/microplastics/ and https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/microplastics .
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.
In 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.
TWSA maintains a fleet of mobile water stations, and 5 gallon dispensers, free for local event use. 
Water Station Loan Application and Instructions
Design and Build Instructions (pdf)
The Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) and Tahoe Fund are accepting applications from local businesses, for 50% grant award of the cost of the unit - up to $2500 per unit, towards the installation of Water Bottle Filling Stations. Stations must be accessible to the public at properties within the Tahoe Basin. Grant applications accepted on a first come, first-served basis. View the program information and application here.
Drink Tahoe Tap® has its own map! Find Refill stations easily in the Tahoe region by visiting https://takecaretahoe.org/water-stations.
One of the easiest and most significant actions that anyone can do to take care of Tahoe, is to refill a reusable water bottle; and choose not to use plastic bottled waters. Lake Tahoe water providers deliver some of the finest drinking water in the world, right out of the tap to local businesses, parks and community spaces.
To make refilling easier for residents and visitors alike, the Tahoe Fund and Tahoe Water Suppliers Association have launched the Drink Tahoe Tap Water Refill Network, as an interactive map feature on the Take Care Tahoe website. The new web map is located at: (https://takecaretahoe.org/water-stations. It provides quick reference to locations for visitors and residents to fill up their refillable water bottles with award winning Tahoe Tap water
Used to supply public drinking water, source water is untreated water from streams, rivers, lakes, or underground aquifers. Land based activities have the ability to pollute water through runoff, trash, and other discharges Source water protection is the safeguarding of drinking water sources from contaminant that are harmful to human health. The water in Lake Tahoe is of excellent quality, and our community treatment plants are designed to remove or inactivate microorganisms, meeting exacting standards . However, emerging contaminants and increases in contaminants quantities often increases the threat of waterborne illness and creates requirements for new and expensive treatment upgrades.
By protecting the source of our drinking water, we reduce the chance of illness and keep water supply treatment costs low. The Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) is a Lake Tahoe based partnership comprised of California and Nevada municipal water agencies which are dedicated to providing clean and safe drinking water. Our water source is Lake Tahoe and is considered some of the finest drinking water in the world. Everyone can help protect the quality of our drinking water through simple sanitary practices.
Dog poop is not just an aesthetic issue, but a water quality issue. People have become concerned about the effects of accumulated dog waste on water quality, especially in Lake Tahoe. Dog waste, like any waste, may contain a variety of microbes which could cause diseases that can potentially be transmitted to humans through our water. A recent study conducted by scientists at University of Nevada Reno Cooperative Extension sheds light on the risks of water contamination from dog feces, especially during the colder months. TWSA offers a dog waste bag dispenser program for community properties, please
Spreading invasive species in Lake Tahoe like Quagga Mussels, Zebra Mussels and New Zealand Mud Snails violates local, state, and federal laws and affects our water quality. Help us prevent these issues by learning about them, properly preparing your boat, and following inspection laws. Visit TahoeBoatInspections.com and TahoeKeepers.org for more information.
Please see the multi-partner collaboration webpage (www.TahoeKeysWeeds.org) for the latest information on solutions to control and prevent aquatic weeds in the Tahoe Keys lagoons and protect Lake Tahoe.
Phosphorus is one of the three key pollutants reducing Lake Tahoe’s clarity. Applying too much water, fertilizer, and pesticides on your lawns directly impacts Tahoe’s water quality and fuels algae growth. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) recommends the use of phosphorus-free fertilizer. Read more about this issue and how to choose your fertilizer on the TRPA website.
Microplastics are a subcategory of plastic pollution. The small size of these contaminants makes them prevalent in all segments of the watershed. Defined as small pieces of plastic, less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length, microplastics can be found throughout the environment. Microplastics do not biodegrade, they break into smaller and smaller pieces, which cause them to accumulate and persist in the environment.
A plastic cup left on the beach, ski resort, or park will breakdown into microplastic, and enter the ecosystem, it can then be introduced into the air via wind, or into a watershed via rain or snowmelt. Studies are currently underway here at Lake Tahoe to understand the amount of microplastic pollution that is present on our beaches, and in the water.
• TERC/DRI’s 2019 Microplastics Research Projects
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-08-26/lake-tahoe-microplastic-pollution-detected
• WHO Report on Microplastics
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/microplastics-in-drinking-water/en/
The League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Waters Suppliers Association (TWSA) are distributing cigarette butt collection canisters at key locations around Lake Tahoe. The aim of the Tahoe Cigarette Disposal Program is to reduce toxic chemicals from littered cigarette butts from leaching into the environment, to protect wildlife, and to reduce litter on Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. In 2018 more than 27,600 cigarette butts were collected in and around Lake Tahoe by the League and volunteers. It is time to change that drastic statistic. Program details at https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/our-work/combating-pollution/cigdisposal.
TWSA wins national source water protection award
Incline Village, Nev. (April 22, 2020) -- The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has recognized the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) with the coveted 2020 Exemplary Source Water Protection Award. TWSA demonstrated the highest level of protection and preservation of the Lake Tahoe watershed, the region’s primary water source for residents. Read the Press Release
INCLINE VILLAGE, NEV – March 13, 2018 -- The Tahoe Fund and the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA) are pleased to announce the successful completion of fundraising efforts to purchase 150+ bottom barriers, and other necessary supplies, for the control of aquatic invasive species at Lake Tahoe. Read the Press Release. View a Video of the project.
Press Release (February 17, 2016)
Documents: TWSA Annual Reports
TWSA members are concerned about the potential decline of consumer confidence in Tahoe’s outstanding tap water if a maintenance program is initiated using herbicides in the Tahoe Keys waters.
TWSA Board - General Meetings and Special Meetings
To report a spill or boat sinking please contact these agencies
Learn more about protecting our water source by visiting these other websites or reading the annual report
Tahoe Water Suppliers Association members from the Tahoe Basin
Nevada members of TWSA first started working together during the state adoption of the 1986 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and the creation of the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR).