Balancing growth, water integrity

Thursday, March 16, 2000 | 9:37 a.m.

Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley, both D-Nev., plan to coordinate federal and local cleanup efforts, hoping to balance Southern Nevada's booming growth with the health of Lake Mead, the primary water source.

All of the Las Vegas Valley's runoff and treated wastewater flow through the Las Vegas Wash -- a 15-mile-long natural drain that runs along the valley's east side and ends in Lake Mead.

Federal, state and local agencies have already been working to improve water quality and start a 2,400-acre desert wetlands park in the wash that will further filter the water. The two Nevada lawmakers have invited water experts to Lake Las Vegas Friday for a look at the future of Lake Mead.

Once they hear from the water experts, the senator and the congresswoman expect to introduce comprehensive legislation this year to protect Lake Mead by removing pesticides such as DDT, the rocket fuel booster perchlorate and other toxins discovered flowing in the wash.

Their legislation would ensure each of 28 separate agencies with some responsibility in the area coordinate their efforts to clear the water.

A long-term solution is necessary to balance competing interests, such as drinking water and recreation, Reid said Wednesday.

Water officials agree that Clark County's plan for a desert wetlands park will help slow sediments and other pollutants from streaming into the lake and then downstream.

Because the wash and the lake are connected to the Colorado River, federal agencies such as the National Park Service also have a hand in any solutions, said Bill Dickinson, assistant park service superintendent.

"Lake Mead plays a central role in quenching Southern Nevada's thirst and in attracting millions of visitors each year," Reid said. "It is our source of water which is more precious than gold."

The local forum is similar to the summit with President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in July 1997 for Lake Tahoe, which resulted in a concentrated effort to restore and refurbish the Northern Nevada lake's waters, Reid said.

The legislation will help focus efforts of the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers with local governments at work on the wash, Berkley said.

"We plan to make this a priority," Berkley said.

With the Southern Nevada Water Authority taking the lead in cleaning up the wash, the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee has been meeting to write a comprehensive plan to protect and restore 2,000 acres of wetlands lost to flooding and erosion. The first step to prevent erosion and restore the wetlands is building structures to slow the daily flows and floods like one on July 8, 1999.

An erosion control structure near Lake Las Vegas was installed in October. Then in February storms destroyed about half of it, ripping out 2,500 cubic yards of rock and concrete.

Today, with recycled rock and concrete used to replace it, an acre of wetlands is struggling to survive behind the barricade, said Kim Zikmund, the wash project manager for the water authority.

Another structure to control tons of sediment near Pabco Road is scheduled for construction this year.

Mary Manning covers environmental issues for the Sun. She can be reached by phone at (702) 259-4065 or by e-mail at manning@lasvegassun.com