Future of Lake Mead focus of two-day conference

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003 | 8:56 a.m.

Officials from an array of local, state and federal agencies met Monday to consider the condition and fate of Lake Mead.

The lake and the Colorado River provide water not only for almost all of Las Vegas' drinking needs, but much of Southern California and Arizona as well.

The lake also provides recreational opportunities for 8 million to 10 million people a year.

But four years of drought in the West, growing demand and environmental challenges are threatening the clarity and quality of the lake water.

Officials who spoke at the meeting in Henderson called for interstate and inter-agency cooperation to address the growing problems at Lake Mead.

"We are concerned that there is a lack of a common vision for the future of Lake Mead," said William Dickinson, National Park Service superintendent of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. "We need to come together to create a blueprint for Lake Mead."

First-day speakers at the two-day conference included Pat Mulroy, Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager, and Robert Johnson, director of the Lower Colorado Region for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The two-day conference is sponsored by the Nevada Water Resources Association, a state group that represents public officials from water agencies in the state and private businesses with a stake in water delivery.

The association took officials from the region out on a tour of the lake, where they saw the dramatically falling water levels associated with the twin challenges of drought and demand.

On tap for the conference's second day are expected to be further discussions of demand and an exploration of the environmental implications of falling lake levels, growing concentrations of contaminants in the lake, and the effect on both human and wildlife use of the lake.