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At one time, the Clean Water Coalition had planned a pipeline that would have crossed this stretch of the Las Vegas Wash to expel treated wastewater into the deeper depths of greater Lake Mead. However, the CWC mothballed that project and the Nevada Legislature took $62 million allocated for it.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.
Steve Kirk
Steve Sisolak
Larry Brown
Sun Coverage
Sun archives
- Clean Water Coalition will sue state to keep $62 million targeted by lawmakers (3-11-2010)
- Clean Water Coalition balks at localities’ request to return cash (1-10-2010)
- Las Vegas to pull out of Clean Water Coalition (9-15-2010)
- State: Reno wrong to support Southern Nevada in $62M battle (5-27-10)
- Reno sides with Southern Nevada in Legislature battle (5-24-10)
- Governor, Legislature seek to keep $62 million for state budget (3-18-10)
- Gibbons signs budget bill; state draws M Resort lawsuit (3-12-10)
- Clean Water Coalition will sue state to keep $62 million targeted by lawmakers (3-11-10)
- Will a gamer sue the state over part of special session budget plan? (3-2-10)
Millions of dollars are being collected in Southern Nevada for a small public agency that no longer exists.
And although Clark County plans to return about $2.7 million to sewer ratepayers, other municipalities have yet to decide whether to keep the money they have collected on behalf of the Clean Water Coalition, earmark it for another purpose or return it to people who paid it.
The coalition was established in 2002 to oversee construction of an $860 million pipeline to return treated, phosphorous-rich wastewater deep into Lake Mead so it would not promote shoreline algae blooms that threaten water quality. But almost 10 years later, water treatment experts say the pipeline is no longer needed because of new wastewater treatment technology.
The Clean Water Coalition is scheduled to be formally shuttered in June. Its board decided it would not collect fees for the pipeline after Oct. 1.
But fees are still being collected.
Henderson collects a monthly fee for the Clean Water Coalition from utility ratepayers, about $8 annually. For the moment, it doesn’t have plans to refund the money or stop collecting it.
The city is considering a new use for the fee, which brings in about $800,000 annually, said City Councilman Steve Kirk, Henderson’s representative on the Clean Water Coalition board.
“One idea is to call that fee something else and keep collecting it,” he said, possibly for wastewater treatment upgrades, a reserve fund, legal fees or discretionary spending. He added that he is not necessarily in favor of any of those options.
Las Vegas officials, facing a $12 million budget deficit, stopped collecting the fees in January and are considering using money collected after Oct. 1 to maintain the city’s sewer system and to offset future costs for taxpayers, a spokesman said.
Clark County officials want to return the collected money — about $2.7 million — to ratepayers.
“It’s ridiculous to keep it,” said Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who found out about the ongoing collections through an e-mail from an astute constituent. “It’s the principle. We collected money for something that no longer exists. People shouldn’t be paying for services that don’t exist.”
Commissioner Larry Brown, the County Commission’s representative on the coalition’s board, sent a letter Monday to Richard Mendes, general manager of the Clark County Reclamation District, asking him to analyze how to return collected fees “in as expeditious and economical fashion as feasible.”
“This is about fairness,” Brown said Tuesday. “There was never any intent to use this money for anything other than the Clean Water Coalition. Now the money should go back to the people who paid that fee.”
The coalition has a staff of four and is overseen by elected officials from each government entity that operates a wastewater treatment plant — Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County.
It was formed after the 2001 algae blooms in Lake Mead that were connected to phosphorous used to disinfect wastewater. Authorities decided to build a pipeline to deliver the wastewater deep into the lake for dilution far from the shoreline. The theory behind the pipeline was summed up in a catchphrase: Dilution is the solution to pollution. The pipeline was to be funded by doubling connection fees and by new utility fees on water and sewer customers.
But seven years later, treatment technology had improved at the four treatment plants. In December 2009, Mendes predicted technology improvements meant phosphorous problems would not arise for 30 years or more. Meanwhile, an effective algae predator — quagga mussels — have overrun the lake and kept the algae in check. In January 2010, the coalition board started the process of shuttering, first by stopping collection of connection fees. Then the board decided in January to stop collecting the utility fees, retroactive to October. The coalition’s four employees earned $621,000 in salary and benefits in 2009.
But some municipalities, Henderson for instance, are still collecting the money.
North Las Vegas stopped collecting the utility fee this month. A city spokeswoman said the City Council will decide within the next month what to do with the money it collected since Oct. 1.
Although the wastewater treatment pipeline is dead, legal wrangling continues over $62 million collected over several years by the coalition to build it. The state seized the money in 2009 to help with its budget crisis. That move prompted the coalition, joined by M Resort, to sue to recover it. M Resort stands to be refunded about $800,000 if the courts agree.
Howard Hughes was against getting drinking water from Lake Mead. He said "people would be drinking turds..."
The effluent should be treated and used to grown plants.
"Lake Mead a stinking Lake with water that is essentially sewage run through a strainer to remove the turds..."
http://www.1st100.com/part3/hughes.html
This should be illegal. The authority to collect this tax rests with a defunct agency. No one else should be able to just take this money.
A clear example of government out of control and acting illegally.
This is a no brainer. Which is probably why the politicians are having a tough time with it. Return the money.
Marijuana plants are excellent in decontaminating effluent water, we should have a large grow operation there like in Oakland, California. Excellent source of tax income as well.
Can we spell "Class Action" law suit?
Return the money.
Did anyone else notice that the 4 employees received compensation of $621,000 in 2009! That's about $205,000 for that year alone! What the heck justifies them receiving that kind of money? They sucked on the gov't teet all this time and produced NOTHING! Now I understand why the city and county have budget deficits every year since this recession started. Incompetent people are obviously in charge of the budget.The pay of their employees is hardly in line with the work produced or even the private sector.
More government fraud.
The older I get the more I lose faith in my government from the top down. People wonder why the American people feel hopeless and that everybody from big business to government are kicking them when they are down. But I got to stay here though.
Hughes also did not like to bath and yet was also a phobic germ freak. Hughes spent no time boating on the actual lake and seeing it's beauty first hand. Lake Mead is the largest fresh water reservoir in the United States and blows doors on most if not all California lakes. People that talk negative about Mead obviously do not get out often. Fill a clear glass with water from lakes in CA or their ocean shoreline and you can not even see thru the glass. Not true for Lake Mead... As for the money Sisolak is correct, return it. Post a credit on everyones June bill.
They will probably spend it all fighting in court not to return it.
My question is, how are they going to refund money that was taken and spent by the State Govt?
Why is Henderson still Collecting the MONEY ? Is That Legal ?
Just send it directly to the governor's office.
It's more efficient. He's going to get it anyway.
Do I have to do ALL of the thinking around here???
The fish there pee in the water too.