Lake Las Vegas blasting subject to new scrutiny after complaint

Thursday, June 15, 2006 | 7:18 a.m.

Under closer scrutiny by Henderson officials, construction blasting has resumed at Lake Las Vegas, despite a complaint that blasting at the resort community has caused greater damage than originally thought.

The owner of Laker Plaza, a gas station and bait shop near Lake Las Vegas, blamed construction blasting for cracking two underground fuel tanks that will cost $20,000 each to replace. Dave Grossheim said he will have to shut down his fueling operations until the tanks are replaced.

Blasting resumed late Tuesday under the observation of Henderson's New Mexico-based consultant, who was in town this week to oversee detonations near two underground concrete water reservoirs in MacDonald Highlands.

Deputy Fire Marshal Fulton Cochran said the city was simply being cautious to ensure that the controlled explosions by Donner Drilling & Blasting - the same firm blasting in Lake Las Vegas - does not damage the water supply.

The blasting is needed to install a road and water pipeline that MacDonald Highlands' developer will turn over to the city along with the two reservoirs, Cochran said.

Those developments come as a Henderson homebuilder accused of violating air quality regulations in its blasting faces a $56,000 fine by Clark County. The homebuilder has yet to decide whether to pay the fines or appeal them, said Gary Miller, an air quality compliance supervisor.

About $49,000 of the penalty to builder D.R. Horton is the result of its contractor, Henderson-based Sanders Construction, blasting 22 days over a three-month period without a permit. The builder did not apply for a permit until Dec. 21, the day after a mishap on its Canyons subdivision that resulted in 135 claims after a blast cracked drywall, broke glass and damaged doors.

The remaining $7,000 stems from a March 9 blast that generated dust that settled on people's homes, Miller said. County regulations prohibit blasts within 1,500 feet of homes while the wind is blowing toward them.

Grossheim said his 20-year-old fiberglass fuel tanks passed a Clark County inspection in February. His computerized testing system detected a crack on June 3 in the midst of blasting in Lake Las Vegas, two days before a blasting mishap broke one of his windows .

"I just want the problem fixed," Grossheim said. "We have never had a problem before, but all of a sudden they start the blasting and this happens. Nobody cares about the little guy."

Donner Drilling owner Dave Donner said he was investigating Grossheim's complaint, but insisted there was no evidence that his blasting harmed the fuel tanks. Last week's broken windows were caused by an air blast that would not harm anything underground, he said, noting that seismograph readings near Laker Plaza have been well below Henderson's allowable level.

"We have not ruled anything out, but the data doesn't support the claim," Donner said.

Since firing two laborers immediately after the June 5 incident, Donner said he has taken further steps to reduce the risk of another mishap . He said he has also fired the supervisor who oversaw the two employees and no longer plans to hire laborers who lack blasting experience.

The two fired laborers apparently loaded rock into a blast hole filled with ammonia nitrate, preventing the explosive material from being covered by soil and creating an air gap. When the explosive was detonated, instead of the force going downward to break rocks, it triggered an air blast that exceeded decibel levels allowed by Henderson.

The latest incident is expected to put additional pressure on city officials to change Henderson's ordinance and place further restrictions on blasting. Ideas being considered by council members include requiring a city inspector on blasting sites, setting training requirements for blasting companies' employees and reducing the amount of explosives that contractors can detonate.

A frequent critic of blasting, Lake Las Vegas resident James Sabalos, applauded Lake Las Vegas and the company for taking greater precautions to prevent another mishap.

"It looks like they are taking steps to go beyond the city's regulations to ensure the safety of residents."