Editorial: Flood district did well to stand firm

Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2001 | 9:53 a.m.

We tip our hat to the Regional Flood Control District for refusing to allow Rhodes Ranch developers to move a planned drainage ditch off their property and onto public land. The decision, reported Thursday by the Sun's Adrienne Packer, was long overdue.

When Rhodes purchased 17 acres on the west side of Durango Drive south of Warm Springs Road from the federal Bureau of Land Management, the 1995 sale included a $186,000 price break because of the planned flood control channel.

It turns out that by moving the ditch Rhodes Ranch developers said they could build 30 more homes on that land. Although the developers told the Clark County Commission they would consider paying local government to move the channel elsewhere, that would have disrupted years of flood control planning. Moving the channel across the road would have made that ditch less effective in controlling floods.

Part of the risk of buying BLM acreage includes parcels that cannot be developed because of government easements or rugged terrain. Any developer willing to take the risk must also learn to live with those limitations. We are disappointed that the Rhodes Ranch developers did not come to that realization when they signed their land deal five years ago. We would expect any developer who signs contracts with the BLM to honor those commitments.