Monday, Sept. 16, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., assured personal watercraft users Saturday that Lake Mead will remain open to them, even though they are likely to be banned from the waters for a couple of months this winter.
Reid, at a press conference at a marine shop in Henderson, reiterated that jet skis will not be banned from the lake permanently, his spokesman Tessa Hafen said.
A lawsuit by environmental groups over use of personal watercraft on several National Park Service-managed lakes had prompted a temporary ban to be set for the lake starting Sept. 15, until work on an environmental assessment could be finished.
The ban last week was pushed back to Jan. 1, and the assessment is expected to be done in February.
"There's still a lot of confusion," Hafen said, noting that just before Reid began speaking a customer brought in a watercraft to return because she thought she would not be able to use it.
At the same time Saturday about 100 personal watercraft users turned out at Hemenway Harbor at a rally sponsored by the American Water Association, spokesman Stephen Andranian said.
The rally had been planned before the ban was pushed back to coincide with the previous ban date, Sept. 15, Andranian said. The group went ahead to keep up pressure on the Park Service to finish the required report.
"We are happy for the extension because it saves the season for personal watercraft users," he said, adding, "We need to keep up the pressure to make sure it gets done."
He said another rally close to the new Jan. 1 deadline probably will not be organized. "The water's a little chilly for personal watercraft users," he said.
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