Republished from IVGID’s website (see here)
July 4th Fireworks Incident: Water Quality Remains Safe
In light of community concerns surrounding the July 4th fireworks barge incident in Incline Village, the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) would like to provide a detailed update on the proactive water quality monitoring that has taken place – and to reassure the public that our drinking water remains safe and unaffected.
Proactive Monitoring Before the Holiday
Ahead of the planned Fourth of July fireworks display, IVGID developed a non-regulatory water quality monitoring plan specifically targeted at detecting perchlorate – a chemical found in fireworks that can be of concern for public drinking water systems. The plan called for water sampling both before and after the fireworks display at key locations near IVGID’s lake water intake: Ski Beach and Burnt Cedar Beach.
Adjusted Response After the Incident
When the fireworks barge unexpectedly sank into the lake before the show began, IVGID quickly adapted its monitoring plan. In addition to the baseline samples taken on July 2nd, samples were collected around midday on July 4th and again on the morning of July 7th. A final round of sampling was conducted on July 11th.
All water samples were sent to a third-party laboratory in Reno, which then forwarded the perchlorate samples to an out-of-state lab for specialized analysis.
Results: Safe Drinking Water Confirmed
As of July 14th, IVGID has received lab results from all samples collected prior to July 11th. The outcome: all results were non-detect for perchlorate, meaning the chemical was not present above the detection threshold of 0.50 µg/L (micrograms per liter). These results have been shared with all relevant regulatory agencies.
IVGID will update the community once the July 11th results are received.
Our Commitment
The safety and quality of our community’s drinking water is IVGID’s highest priority. We will continue monitoring, reporting, and communicating transparently with residents and regulatory partners as part of our commitment to environmental stewardship and public health.
Thanks to Our Partners
We extend sincere gratitude to all responding agencies involved in the July 4th response. Their swift and coordinated action – particularly the successful removal of most of the explosives from the sunken barge early that morning – helped mitigate any potential impact to our public drinking water system.
If you have questions about our water quality monitoring program, please contact IVGID Public Works by using the Contact Us form on our website (here).
