Edtorial: Wetlands protect our water

Thursday, May 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A recent national report reinforces the view that the Las Vegas Valley cannot rely only on manmade devices to clean its drinking water.

A Trust for Public Land report says the better way is to rebuild wetlands that have been lost over the years in the rush for development. Natural vegetation and water-borne life in wetlands can clean water in ways beyond the capacity of conventional treatment plants.

The report examines areas in California, New York and New Jersey as examples. In New York alone, $1.5 billion was invested in wetlands, saving about $8 billion in treatment plants. Those conclusions also hit home in Southern Nevada.

The Clark County Commission last month approved a plan to restore more than 1,000 acres of wetlands in the Las Vegas Wash, which have been destroyed over the past 20 years.

The Las Vegas Wash is particularly important since it discharges into Lake Mead not far from the municipal water intake. Tests on the wash have spotted 20-year-old toxic chemicals seeping into the water, posing a potential, but undetermined threat to health.

Add to that the presence of dangerous organisms too small for filtering or resistant to chlorination, and restoring the wash becomes vital.

Cleanup of pollution requires identification of the source, often easier said than done, especially at years-old dumping sites. Some microorganisms may be impossible to remove as a practical matter.

Water officials have insisted that there's no threat in the present water supply, but as for the future, it's anyone's guess.

Natural wetlands filter nutrients such as phosphorous, ammonia and nitrates. Moreover, once they're in place, unlike the treatment plants, maintenance is minimal. They may never replace filtering plants, but they'll make the job of ensuring safe, potable water more effective.

Restoring the Las Vegas Wash may require much more than bank restoration and replanting vegetation. Purchase of adjacent properties may be necessary.

But it would be a good investment in the future health of Southern Nevadans. It also is an admission that sometimes it's best to let nature take its course.