Repairs continue on spill, road washout

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

Although thunderstorms avoided the Las Vegas Valley on Monday, a sewage spill in Henderson and a washout on U.S. 93 continued to cause headaches for Southern Nevada residents and visitors after Sunday's deluge.

Henderson Public Works crews worked overnight Monday to repair a 21-inch pipeline that apparently broke in Pittman Wash after floodwaters poured through the channel during the downpour.

The pipe can carry up to 4 million gallons of raw sewage each day to Henderson's water reclamation plant.

It was not known when the pipeline broke, but city officials learned about the break about 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The pipeline broke near Valle Verde and Arroyo Grande, downstream from where two teenage girls, ages 13 and 14, were rescued from rushing waters Sunday afternoon.

North of Las Vegas flooding took its toll on a federal highway.

Flooding washed out a portion of U.S. 93 in Lincoln County, forcing motorists between Las Vegas and the towns of Alamo, Caliente, Pioche and Panaca to take a long detour.

The Nevada Department of Transportation said that U.S. 93 is closed from about 50 miles north of Las Vegas northward.

The 200-mile detour for motorists begins on Interstate 15 to Utah, north on Utah Highway 18 to Utah Highway 56 and then west to Panaca.

Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Bob McKenzie said crews are repairing a 30-foot section of road swept away in a flash flood late Sunday.

The earliest the road could reopen was this morning, although it could remain closed until Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service on Monday canceled a flood watch for Southern Nevada after thunderstorms stayed east and west of the Las Vegas Valley. The valley's air did not heat up enough during the day to create the conditions for thunderstorms, Weather Service meteorologists said, although humidity remained higher than normal for the desert.

However, a chance of thunderstorms remains in the forecast for the rest of the week, meteorologists said.

Temperatures will gradually warm up over the weekend with a predicted high of 104 degrees for Monday.