Officials hope water conservation will help area get through summer

The fuel additive MTBE has tainted about 20 percent of the wells that supply drinking water to the area. By law, South Lake Tahoe can't touch water from the lake.

South Tahoe Public Utility District spokeswoman Dawn Forsythe said on Monday that starting June 1, people will be asked to water their lawns only when it's absolutely necessary and restaurants will serve water only if they're asked to.

Those restrictions are voluntary, but Forsythe said mandatory odd-even lawn watering is a possibility if people don't conserve.

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