Hard Rock pool seepage less than first reported

Lake Tahoe Hard Rock’s pool could not immediately be drained to deal with the leak because the water in it is a reserve source in case of a fire.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District on July 28 gave the authorization for the pool to be emptied.

“We have a plan in place we can hook into to grab water from nearby water sources,” Eric Guevin with the fire department told Lake Tahoe News.

The investigation involving the leak at the Stateline property has revealed the loss of water is closer to 5,000 gallons per day instead of the originally reported 20,000 gallons.

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection workers were on site Tuesday. On Wednesday a contractor will use sonar with the goal of pinpointing the source of the leak.

JoAnn Kittrell with the state agency said it could take some time to know if there are any environmental issues pertaining to the pool water seeping into the groundwater.

Jen Eastwood, spokeswoman for the hotel-casino, told Lake Tahoe News there is no time line for when the pool and hot tub will reopen. The 200,000 gallon pool has been closed since July 24.

The leak needs to be identified and then officials will determine how to fix it.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report