Army Corps of Engineers surveys Mount Charleston site

By Pashtana Usufzy

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 | 6:50 p.m.

A team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in town surveying an area of Mount Charleston days after Gov. Brian Sandoval announced plans to build a temporary water diversion structure on the mountain.

The group will examine the area along the Rainbow Subdivision to ensure recent flooding won't require adjustments to the design for a planned berm and diversion channel.

The design for the structure was completed in May after a team from the Corps of Engineers' Los Angeles district visited the affected area earlier this year.

The site has experienced mudslides and flooding, due at least in part to damage from last year's wildfire. Natural vegetation that typically alleviated the impact of flowing water and debris was destroyed by the blaze.

Construction on the diversion project is expected to begin in October and last about 30 days, said Corps of Engineers senior public affairs specialist Daniel Calderon.

Residents will have the chance to attend a community meeting on the matter in early September to prepare for construction.

The construction is not expected to be a permanent fix.

"We need to put this berm up until the vegetation has a chance to grow again," Calderon said.

The project is expected to be a joint effort between Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service, which will issue a special use permit to authorize the construction of the berm and channel.