Barton Failing to Handle Water on Their Site

 

2/1/25 Barton Receives Cease and Desist Notice at New Hospital Site 2/1/25 see below ​

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Barton Property Water Release Incident – 2023​

In the Spring and Summer of 2023, Barton’s Stateline property faced significant water accumulation issues. In June, several residents noticed that the waddles (temporary barriers used to control water runoff) had been moved from inside Barton’s fenced property. This change was illegal, allowing water to flow out onto Laura Drive, where it drained into the neighborhood’s storm drains and ultimately into the lake.

The following photo, taken on July 1, 2023, the day after the incident described below, shows the displaced waddles and is timestamped.

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​June 30, 2023 – Incident Timeline

Around 8:21 PM on June 30, 2023, two construction workers from the Barton property were seen collecting water runoff as it flowed into the gutter along Laura Drive. When a concerned resident approached them, one worker nervously claimed they were “testing the water,” while the other avoided the conversation. The resident grew suspicious—why were these workers, dressed in orange construction clothes, still near the site after 8 PM on a Friday night, well beyond the allowable hours for construction work?

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Upon further investigation, the resident discovered evidence indicating that the workers may have been assessing how much silt would accumulate on the road if additional water were intentionally and illegally released. Instead of conducting proper scientific testing with the appropriate equipment, such as test tubes, they seemed to be using a discarded Gatorade type bottle to examine the dirt in the runoff. This raised suspicions about their actions, particularly since their construction attire suggested they were being paid to be there.

Later that evening, around 11:00 PM—a time when regulators would likely be absent—two witnesses observed a very large volume of water rapidly flowing from the Barton property onto Laura Drive and into the storm drains. The following photo, timestamped the next day, shows the silt left behind on the street.

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Response and Investigation

The incident was reported to the Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), who sent a representative to investigate. After the report, no further illegal water releases were observed. However, the initial complaint filed did not include the photos and videos captured during the incident, allowing Barton the opportunity to claim the water release was accidental.

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Public Relations Meeting – July 2023

Following the incident, a group of Oliver Park residents requested a meeting with Barton to address their concerns. Two representatives from Barton’s public relations team attended the meeting, but it quickly escalated into a shouting match. One Barton representative denied any wrongdoing, claiming the company would never engage in illegal activities. The residents, frustrated by the lack of cooperation, were unable to present their evidence, including the photos and videos, before the meeting ended prematurely.

In retrospect, the residents realized this meeting must have counted as one of  Barton’s claimed “outreach” efforts—a tactic they later used to portray themselves as responsible neighbors. However, it was clear this meeting was a calculated move to portray a favorable public image, rather than a genuine attempt at dialogue.

After the meeting, Barton published a newspaper article Link to Article, which seems to be a deliberate attempt at damage control. In the article, they highlight their cooperation with the NDEP, without mentioning that they had been reported to the agency in the first place. They also assert that the water release was “inadvertent,” a claim that directly contradicts the evidence—evidence they were unaware of at the time.

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​Key Takeaways: Environmental and Legal Concerns

This incident raises serious concerns about Barton’s disregard for environmental regulations, their willingness to engage in illegal activities, and their deception with the public and regulatory authorities. The photo of the moved waddles provides compelling evidence that the water release was intentional.

The time stamped photo of the young workers in their construction gear suggests they were paid to stay late and perform the illegal release under the cover of darkness on the Friday night before the 4th of July weekend. The large puddle in the image strongly indicates that the waddles had been moved  before the incident, allowing water to flow onto Laura Drive. Since this photo was taken very close to the waddles, it is impossible that the workers would not have seen that they had been moved. They could easily have replaced them if their intent was anything other than to help the water flow quickly off the property when it was released later that night.

Barton’s newspaper article appears to be a deliberate attempt to downplay the seriousness of the incident and mislead the public about the true nature of the events. This incident underscores the critical need to thoroughly scrutinize any past or future claims or proposals made by Barton—especially those concerning environmental initiatives like traffic reduction, a vanpool program, or a water treatment plant. Given Barton’s track record of dishonesty, there is genuine concern that these promises will be abandoned once they achieve their goals and the public’s attention fades. The primary mission of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is to protect the environment, and it is increasingly clear who the TRPA must protect it from—Barton Health.

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Here are some pictures showing the water running off of the Barton site and on to Laura Dr with small rain events.  We started sending in formal complaints for these water related issues on 9/19/24.  We continued submit pictures and complaints with each time there was rain which led to water running off the property.  In addition, to the formal complaints we have also directly emailed people at the TRPA, Douglas County and Barton (we are compiling a list of who we emailed along with the number of times).  We have many documented complaints over the last 5 months to TRPA, Douglas County and Barton to fix this issue.

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The first row is the complaint and pictures we submitted on 9/19/24.  The second row complaint along with pictures were submitted after the event on 12/24/24.  For both of these events Barton's BMPs failed with about a 1/4" of rainfall.