Nevada lawmakers have advanced legislation aimed at curbing microplastic pollution in Lake Tahoe by restricting the sale and distribution of large plastic water bottles, a plastic bottle ban. Senate Bill 324, passed by a 16–4 vote, targets containers over four liters in size and applies to all communities surrounding the popular freshwater lake.
Democrat Sen. Melanie Scheible of Las Vegas introduced the bill, which now heads to the Assembly for further review. Enforcement responsibilities will fall to the local board of health or health department with jurisdiction over the affected areas.
The proposed law outlines escalating penalties for violators. The first offense within a year earns a warning, while a second and third offense carry fines of $100 and $200, respectively. A fourth violation results in a $500 penalty.
Lake Tahoe, straddling the Nevada-California border, draws approximately 15 million visitors annually and is home to nearly 60,000 residents. A 2023 environmental study reported microplastic levels in the lake comparable to oceanic garbage patches, with 5.4 plastic particles detected per cubic meter.
South Lake Tahoe, located on the California side of the lake, already implemented a similar ban on single-use water bottles under one gallon in 2024. Senate Bill 324 would expand restrictions to larger containers in Nevada’s lake communities.
Environmental advocacy group Keep Tahoe Blue praised the bill’s bipartisan Senate support, stating that discarded plastic bottles eventually degrade into microplastics that permanently contaminate the lake.
The Tahoe Environmental Research Center has identified additional threats to Lake Tahoe’s health, including diminished water clarity, climate change effects, and invasive species. The bottle ban is seen as one step toward addressing long-term environmental concerns in the region.
