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U.S. EPA awards grants for $400,000 to study air quality in Lake Tahoe Basin

Release Date: 05/17/2007
Contact Information: Mark Merchant, (415) 947-4297

(05/17/07 -- SAN FRANCISCO) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced grants totaling over $400,000 to the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nev., to research air pollutants that impact lake clarity and air quality in the Lake Tahoe Basin and develop strategies to improve the environment.

The Desert Research Institute will use the two $200,000 grants to monitor air pollution, including roadway dust and particulate matter from controlled burns to reduce forest fuel, and develop an inventory of air pollution emissions.

“The EPA is pleased that the Desert Research Institute is contributing to the ongoing effort to protect and preserve this national treasure,” said Deborah Jordan, director of the Air Division in the EPA’s Pacific Southwest regional office. “By collecting information about air pollutants in the basin, the EPA and our partners will be able to develop a strategy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment.”

The Desert Research Institute is a non-profit research campus of more than 500 faculty, staff and students engaged in about 300 research projects. The institute’s projects focus on atmospheric sciences, earth and ecosystem sciences and hydrologic sciences and generate $45 million in total annual revenue.

This project is part of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program and is funded by the Lake Tahoe Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.