Water Right Permit Applications A024257, A023475, A023727
Summary
SCH Number
2026080538
Public Agency
North Tahoe Public Utility District
Document Title
Water Right Permit Applications A024257, A023475, A023727
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/17/2026
Document Description
The proposed action consists of the District’s approval of a Notice of Exemption (“NOE”) under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) in connection with the District’s pending water right applications before the State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board”), including continued pursuit of Application A024257 and cancellation of Applications A023475 and A023727. Although the State Water Board will act on the pending application, its action occurs after the District’s discretionary decision to pursue the application and does not alter the District’s responsibility to evaluate the environmental consequences of its own discretionary action.
The purpose of the proposed action is to facilitate the continued processing of the District’s pending water right application to secure sufficient long-term water right authority for operation of the District’s existing municipal water system consistent with the Truckee River Operating Agreement. It does not authorize or require construction of new facilities, modification of existing facilities, or changes to the District’s existing operations.
The beneficiaries of the proposed action are the District and its existing and future customers, who rely on the District’s municipal water system for a reliable and long-term potable water supply.
Contact Information
Name
Bradley A. Johnson
Agency Name
North Tahoe Public Utility District
Job Title
General Manager/CEO
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Address
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Communities of Kings Beach & Tahoe Vista
Counties
Placer
Regions
Northern California, Unincorporated
Township
16N
Range
17E
Section
14
Other Location Info
The proposed point of diversion is Lake Tahoe Intake in the Agate Bay: North 2,218,088 feet and East 7,114,163 feet by California Coordinate System, Zone 2, North American Datum 1983, located within the Southwest quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section 14, Township 16 North, Range 17 East, Mount Diablo Base and Meridian.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, section 15301
Reasons for Exemption
Following a duly noticed public hearing, the District determined that the proposed action is not subject to CEQA or, alternatively, is exempt from CEQA on the following independent grounds:
• Class 1 Categorical Exemption (14 Cal. Code Regs. § 15301). The proposed action involves the continued operation and licensing of the District’s existing municipal water system and diversion facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing use.
• Projects Disapproved or Rejected (Public Resources Code § 21080(b)(5); 14 Cal Code Regs. § 15270(a)). The proposed cancellation of Water Right Applications A023475 and A023727 is exempt because CEQA does not apply to projects that the public agency rejects or disapproves.
Class 1 Exemption
The proposed action concerns the continued operation of the District’s existing municipal water system and diversion facilities. It does not authorize construction of new facilities, physical modifications to existing facilities, expansion of existing diversion infrastructure, or changes in the physical operation of those facilities. The District will continue to operate its existing municipal water system, including its existing National Avenue Intake, using its existing treatment, storage, transmission, and distribution facilities.
Application A024257 seeks to secure sufficient long-term water right authority for the continued operation of the District’s existing municipal water system over the requested period for completion of beneficial use. Although the requested permit would authorize a greater quantity of water than the District is presently authorized to divert, approval of the proposed action does not itself authorize or require any increase in actual water diversions. Rather, the proposed action concerns the legal authority under which the District may continue operating its existing municipal water system.
The District’s adopted 2025 UWMP concludes that existing municipal water facilities are adequate to satisfy projected demand through 2050 and identifies no need to construct additional water supply facilities or modify the District’s existing diversion infrastructure during that period. Consistent with those adopted planning assumptions, approval of the proposed action is not expected to expand the District’s current operational use of its existing diversion facilities.
Any future increase in diversions would depend on future customer demand, operational decisions by the District, hydrologic conditions, continued compliance with the Truckee River Operating Agreement, satisfaction of permit conditions, and compliance with any other applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Those future contingencies are independent of the proposed Board action and do not alter the District’s current operation of its existing municipal water system.
Accordingly, the proposed action involves the continued licensing and operation of existing public facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing use and therefore falls within the Class 1 categorical exemption set forth in CEQA Guidelines § 15301.
The District further determined that none of the exceptions contained in CEQA Guidelines § 15300.2 apply. The proposed action concerns continued licensing and operation of the District’s existing municipal water system and does not authorize construction of new facilities, physical modification of existing facilities, or expansion of the operational use of those facilities. The District will continue operating the same diversion, treatment, groundwater wells, storage, transmission, and distribution facilities in substantially the same manner as they operate today. Accordingly, the proposed action does not present unusual circumstances, does not contribute to cumulative impacts, does not affect scenic resources within a designated state scenic highway, does not occur on a hazardous waste site, and does not cause substantial adverse change in the significance of historical resources.
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Public Resources Code § 21080(b)(5); CEQA Guidelines § 15270(a)
Reasons for Exemption
Following a duly noticed public hearing, the District determined that the proposed action is not subject to CEQA or, alternatively, is exempt from CEQA on the following independent grounds:
• Class 1 Categorical Exemption (14 Cal. Code Regs. § 15301). The proposed action involves the continued operation and licensing of the District’s existing municipal water system and diversion facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing use.
• Projects Disapproved or Rejected (Public Resources Code § 21080(b)(5); 14 Cal Code Regs. § 15270(a)). The proposed cancellation of Water Right Applications A023475 and A023727 is exempt because CEQA does not apply to projects that the public agency rejects or disapproves.
Class 1 Exemption
The proposed action concerns the continued operation of the District’s existing municipal water system and diversion facilities. It does not authorize construction of new facilities, physical modifications to existing facilities, expansion of existing diversion infrastructure, or changes in the physical operation of those facilities. The District will continue to operate its existing municipal water system, including its existing National Avenue Intake, using its existing treatment, storage, transmission, and distribution facilities.
Application A024257 seeks to secure sufficient long-term water right authority for the continued operation of the District’s existing municipal water system over the requested period for completion of beneficial use. Although the requested permit would authorize a greater quantity of water than the District is presently authorized to divert, approval of the proposed action does not itself authorize or require any increase in actual water diversions. Rather, the proposed action concerns the legal authority under which the District may continue operating its existing municipal water system.
The District’s adopted 2025 UWMP concludes that existing municipal water facilities are adequate to satisfy projected demand through 2050 and identifies no need to construct additional water supply facilities or modify the District’s existing diversion infrastructure during that period. Consistent with those adopted planning assumptions, approval of the proposed action is not expected to expand the District’s current operational use of its existing diversion facilities.
Any future increase in diversions would depend on future customer demand, operational decisions by the District, hydrologic conditions, continued compliance with the Truckee River Operating Agreement, satisfaction of permit conditions, and compliance with any other applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Those future contingencies are independent of the proposed Board action and do not alter the District’s current operation of its existing municipal water system.
Accordingly, the proposed action involves the continued licensing and operation of existing public facilities involving negligible or no expansion of existing use and therefore falls within the Class 1 categorical exemption set forth in CEQA Guidelines § 15301.
The District further determined that none of the exceptions contained in CEQA Guidelines § 15300.2 apply. The proposed action concerns continued licensing and operation of the District’s existing municipal water system and does not authorize construction of new facilities, physical modification of existing facilities, or expansion of the operational use of those facilities. The District will continue operating the same diversion, treatment, groundwater wells, storage, transmission, and distribution facilities in substantially the same manner as they operate today. Accordingly, the proposed action does not present unusual circumstances, does not contribute to cumulative impacts, does not affect scenic resources within a designated state scenic highway, does not occur on a hazardous waste site, and does not cause substantial adverse change in the significance of historical resources.
County Clerk
Placer
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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