Water flows into Sunset Park lake; fish, birds to be returned later

Friday, Sept. 22, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

It will take up to 12 days to refill the Sunset Park lake after Clark County drained the 9.5-acre reservoir last year to refurbish it and stop leaks.

After pouring 23 million gallons of water into the lake from three separate wells in the park, an effort that started Thursday, the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department will return the fish and the birds removed in January 1999, county spokeswoman Leslie Mihalko said.

"There are no definite dates to restock the fish and the returning birds which have been housed at Betty Hahn's Animal Sanctuary," Mihalko said.

The lake is the major source of irrigation for the 150 acres of developed land and ballfield areas at the park, located at Sunset Road and Eastern Avenue.

The cost of the project is roughly $1.4 million, she said.

After park employees noticed a drop in water levels -- an estimated leak of 500,000 gallons a day -- the lake was closed. The Nevada Department of Wildlife assisted county staff in removing and relocating the fish.

Domestic birds were also moved to the animal sanctuary.

Federally protected migratory birds apparently went to other favorable areas in the Las Vegas Valley.

Most of the wildlife is expected to return once the lake fills, Mihalko said.

While the lake was closed, parts of the one-mile jogging track were barricaded as a safety precaution.

The lake was dredged and then restored. Its bottom was replaced, lined and covered by 6 inches of sand to protect the liner from fishing lines.