Receding lake presents challenges
With less than a week left before the first big boating weekend of the year, the National Park Service is scrambling once again to address the effects of falling water levels at Lake Mead.
The reservoir east of Las Vegas has dropped about a foot a week since April, as a seven-year-long record drought tightens its grip on the shrinking Colorado River.
The difference this time: The lake is already at its lowest level in more than 40 years, and the shrinking shows no sign of letting up.
"Up until 2000, we had a pretty constant level in Lake Mead. The struggles weren’t there," said Jim Holland, park planner for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. "Now it’s constant."
And how’s this for a Catch-22? The problems caused by low water can only be addressed when the water is low. After all, you can’t pour concrete and extend a boat ramp when it’s still under water.
The problem is no more obvious than at the lake’s busiest boat ramp. More than 100 feet of dry land now separate the end of the Callville Bay boat ramp from the water.
Last year, concrete planks were installed to temporarily extend the ramp by 66 feet. Now those planks are high and dry, so the park service is keeping the ramp partially open with the help of steel mats made from 2-inch pipes that have been welded together.
The aptly named pipe mats stretch about 70 feet into the receding water.
Such quick fixes are being made all around the lake. More permanent improvements are on tap for later this year.
At Boulder Harbor next to Lake Mead Marina, boaters are putting their vessels in the water using a ramp built in the 1960s under a nationwide parks improvement program called Mission 66. Back then, Lake Mead was at its lowest point in almost 30 years because Lake Powell upstream was being filled for the first time.
"What we’re seeing exposed now hasn’t been exposed for 50 years," Holland said.
Park officials are using the opportunity to resurface the old ramp. The newer boat ramp at Lake Mead Marina has been out of service for several years because it no longer reaches the water.
"We’ll do everything we can to get the maximum number of launch lanes available for Memorial Day. After that, we’ll do the major construction," Holland said.
In the meantime, boaters can expect some delays at the shoreline, especially during peak times.
Compared to a year ago, capacity will be down about 20 percent at Lake Mead’s boat ramps this weekend.
To avoid what could be extremely long lines at the ramps, boaters are encouraged to hit the water before 10 a.m. and get off the lake before 4 p.m.
Holland said ramp congestion is usually at its worst in the late afternoon on the last two days of a holiday weekend.
Of course, once clear of the boat-ramp bottleneck, visitors can still find plenty of open water on Lake Mead. Even at its lowest level in decades, North America’s largest man-made reservoir covers almost 97,000 acres.
But each drop in the water level brings changes to the lake, both above the surface and beneath it. Holland said boaters need to be aware of submerged obstacles and other hazards that might not have been there the last time they navigated Lake Mead. With so much ground to cover, park staff can never hope to mark all potential hazards with warning buoys.
"What I tell people is when the lake’s dropping, you have to treat it like it’s your first visit," he said.
As of Friday, the water level at Lake Mead stood at 1,118 feet above sea level, its lowest point since May 1965 and a decline of more than 93 feet since 1998.
According to the latest projections by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the lake is expected to dip below 1,112 feet in September, then rebound to about 1,117 feet in February before sinking toward 1,100 feet by July 2008.
For every 1-foot drop in the water level, the shoreline recedes 10 to 20 feet, depending on the topography.
For every 20-foot drop, the park service and its private marina operators must spend at least $5 million to move docks and extend infrastructure.
"Between Boulder Harbor, Callville Bay, Temple Bar and South Cove, we’ll probably spend over $2 million this spring and another $2 million this summer" on boat ramps, Holland said. "There is no aspect of this that isn’t expensive."
BEWARE OF WHAT IS UNDER THE SURFACE
Even small changes in the water level can significantly alter the shoreline of Lake Mead, turning islands into peninsulas and underwater ridges into shallow reefs.
Since April, the lake has been shedding as much as a foot of water per week, enough to confuse even the most experienced Lake Mead mariner. Here are a few safety tips, courtesy of the National Park Service:
• When the water level lowers at this rate, navigational aids might not be in the same location they were during your last visit.
• When in doubt, slow down.
• When the water changes in color from blue to green, it can signal obstacles just beneath the water.
• Ripples or wave action, even in the middle of what looks like an open channel, can signal the presence of a submerged hazard.
• Don’t cut close to the shoreline.
• Don’t pass between a reef marker and the nearest shore.
• Slow down when entering a cove.
• Don’t put your child on the bow of the boat to look for rocks; people fall in and get hurt.
• If you find a newly uncovered reef in a well-traveled area, you can report it to the National Park Service at 293-8937.
SIGNS IN STORES TO ENCOURAGE USE OF PLASTIC
Weary of clearing broken glass from Lake Mead beaches, the National Park Service is trying to cut off the problem at its source.
In coming weeks, signs will be posted in select grocery stores and convenience marts to identify so-called "Lake Mead friendly" products.
Park officials hope the signs will persuade visitors to buy their beer in cans instead of bottles and their condiments in plastic instead of glass jars.
"Besides the fact that it’s terrible and it’s litter, (broken glass) is a safety hazard. People cut their feet on it," said Roxanne Dey, spokeswoman for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. "The only way to combat the problem is to get people not to litter in the first place."
The public awareness campaign is being piloted at the Albertsons grocery store in Boulder City, where the first signs went up on shelves about two weeks ago.
Store Manager Tom Ringer said customers appreciate the effort, "especially the local residents."
By July 4, park officials hope to post similar signs at stores in all of Lake Mead’s "gateway communities," namely Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Overton and Meadview, Ariz.
Stores in Laughlin, Searchlight, and Bullhead City, Ariz., that cater to people headed out to Lake Mohave will be included in the program.
The effort is a precursor to an all-out ban on glass and plastic foam containers throughout the recreation area.
Because of the federal rule-making process, the proposed ban could take a year or more to enact. The reasons behind the rule are simple, Dey said.
"Litter has become a growing problem, and I’m not sure why," she said. "I can’t explain it. We have drive-up trash cans. You don’t even have to get out of your car, but people leave their trash right next to the can."
The park provides free trash bags and garbage bins at all of its boat ramps, but crushed aluminum cans and other discarded items can be found scattered within a few feet of the bins.
"We can’t keep up with it," Dey said.
