Repairs approved for reservoir

Thursday, April 27, 2000 | 10:57 a.m.

The 3-year-old River Mountains reservoir needs $54,500 in repairs after runoff washed away natural materials used in its drainage channels.

At a regular board meeting on Wednesday, the Southern Nevada Water Authority approved a contract with McLaughlin Excavation & Mining Inc. of Temecula, Calif., to repair the 40 million gallon reservoir.

The board also approved $142,350 for a comprehensive sediment study of the Las Vegas Wash. Howard H. Chang Consultants will examine how fast soil particles move in the wash before the water authority and the county build temporary and permanent erosion control barriers.

Another important step to restore the wash came as the board approved an agreement between the cities, Clark County, water and waste-water agencies on protecting and restoring wetlands in the wash.

In May the cities of Henderson and North Las Vegas and the county's Regional Flood Control District board are expected to approve the same agreement.

By restoring the wash, the water authority expects to improve drinking water quality. Wash waters enter Lake Mead 6 miles upstream from where more than 80 percent of the Las Vegas Valley's drinking water is drawn.

Once boasting 2,000 acres of cattail marshes, willows and cottonwood trees, the wash has dwindled to less than 200 acres of marshland.