The popularity of the Lake Tahoe Basin has created an
altered watershed. The positive economic effects
of popularity are shadowed by conditions that stress Lake
Tahoe water resources. Planning land use to accommodate
economic growth and vitality ensures that protective measures
are taken to maintain a healthy watershed. Everything
we do to the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin can positively
or adversely affect lake water clarity. This means that
activities occurring on the land, such as applying fertilizers
and pesticides, have a high potential to affect the Lake´s
water quality. Sixty-three streams flow into Lake
Tahoe and are the invisible threads that connect the Lake
to us and our homes. Everything we use or produce
in the watershed -- sewage, fertilizers, pesticides, motor
oil, and animal wastes -- can be carried into Lake Tahoe.
Land use corresponds to the socio-economic description
of areas used for residential, industrial or commercial,
farming or forestry, and recreational or conservation
purposes. In order to better understand concepts of land
use and land cover, and how they relate to the Lake Tahoe
Basin, there are three important terms to know:
- Land cover addresses the physical characteristics
or make up of the earth´s surface and describes
whether land is comprised of vegetation, water, desert,
ice, or human activities such as buildings, mines, and
roads.
- Land use addresses the main activity occurring
on the covered land. It is often an activity dictated
by humans. For example, a forest might be used
for logging or recreation and tourism. In this
example, the land uses are logging and recreation and
tourism. The land cover is forest.
- Land capability is also referred to as land
suitability and addresses the type and extent of
land development, if any, appropriate for a particular
land area. Land capability analysis identifies
soil type and slope of the land to determine the extent
of land use. Land capability is an important topic
in the Lake Tahoe Basin as it determines where new development
can occur and to what extent. Since the late 1970's,
regulatory agencies in the Tahoe Region, including the
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), have used the
land capability classification system known as the "Bailey system" to determine whether owners of vacant parcels
may obtain building permits for new residences or businesses.
The Bailey system was replaced in vacant residential
parcels with an alternate concept known as the Individual
Parcel Evaluation System (IPES).
Situations complicate the link between land use and land
cover. Contrary to land cover, land use is difficult to
observe. For example, it is often difficult to decide
if grasslands are used or not for agricultural purposes.
Distinctions between land use and land cover and their
definition have impacts on the development of classification
systems, data collection and information systems in general.
Interests in land use and land cover result from their
direct relationship to productivity of the land, diversity
of plant and animal species, and biochemical and hydrological
cycles. Land cover is continually molded and transformed
by land use due to human cultural, social, and economic
activities.
As society shifted from a rural to an urban society,
public land regulation became important especially to
city governments trying to control industry, commerce,
and housing within its boundaries. By the 1970s, concerns
about the environment and historic preservation led to
further regulation. Today, federal, state, and local governments
regulate growth and development through statutory law.
Human impacts, such as run-off from buildings and roads
and erosion from recreation trails and ski resorts, can
seriously harm Lake Tahoe´s legendary cobalt-blue
water clarity and cause water quality deterioration.
Land use measures being taken to protect Lake Tahoe water
quality are regulations and programs that include:
Environmental Thresholds
Carrying Capacities set environmental goals and
standards for the Lake Tahoe Basin and indirectly define
the capacity of the Region to accommodate additional land
development. Land development may negatively affect
attainment of an environmental thresholds. Special efforts,
such as mitigation measures, must be taken to reduce impacts.
The Regional Plan Goals
and Policies presents the overall approach to meeting
the Thresholds. A key component of the Plan is the
land use element. The land use element of the Plan
identifies the fundamental philosophies directing land
use and development in the Lake Tahoe Basin. It
addresses topics like suitable development locations;
maintenance of the environmental, social, physical, and
economic well-being of the Region; and coordination with
local, state, and federal requirements. The Land
Use Element of the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan includes the
following Subelements: land use, housing, noise, natural
hazards, air quality, water quality, and community design.
The Land Use subelements intend to establish land use
goals and policies that will ensure the desired equilibrium
and attain and maintain the environmental thresholds within
a specific time schedule.
A number of regulations are needed to implement and enforce
policies identified in the Plan. The Regulatory
Code compiles all of the laws and ordinances needed to
implement the Goals and Policies. Related to the
Code are Plan Area Statements and Community Plans.
Plan Area Statements provide a description of land use
for particular areas in the Basin. The Lake Tahoe
Region is divided into more than 175 separate Plan Areas.
For each Plan Area, a “statement” is made
as to how that particular area should be regulated to
achieve environmental and land use objectives. Community
plans are similar to Plan Area Statements, but focus on
specific areas where humans dwell.
