No refunds to be issued for lake watercraft users

Wednesday, July 24, 2002 | 9:25 a.m.

Lake Mead personal watercraft users will not be receiving a check from the Park Service when the ban on the craft goes into effect in September.

Instead next spring, when personal watercrafts are expected to be back on the lake, each 2002 annual vessel pass will be good also for 2003 at no additional cost, according to the Lake Mead rangers.

The annual fees for use of a personal watercraft on Lake Mead are $20 for the first vessel and $10 for each additional vessel.

At $1.67 a month, multiplied by three unused months (October, November and December), that leaves a $5.83 balance on the fee for the first craft permit and half that amount for the permits on each additional craft.

The sale of five-day personal watercraft passes at a cost of $5 per vessel will be discontinued by Sept. 15, rangers said.

The ban comes as part of a lawsuit filed in 2000 by the Bluewater Network, a San Francisco-based environmental lobby. As part of the suit the National Park Service was to complete an environmental impact survey, which was scheduled to be completed by Sept. 15.

The park service does not expect to meet the deadline, meaning watercraft will be banned as of that date until a study is complete. Park service officials expect that to occur in spring.