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<br />F EA T U R E
<br />
<br />Commu,d from from p.l!.,
<br />
<br />Le~ding 12 milo lrom Iht' cify to
<br />LIke ....l('~ll. lh... .....\<h (ormed In the p.bl
<br />2:; million yean - rhe re'lllt of n()din~
<br />moum~in~ in fhe vallt.'y, T",d~.\' 1110: ".I,h
<br />i~ ,1 tUlled 'rn"am, htJndred~ o( lto"'l ....ide
<br />in ~J/I1C: pOlllT\, ~nd serve!> ~, the Jr~in
<br />t'Or th... t'mirt. 1,60fh<ju.lre-lJJilc La\
<br />\e~a\ region. :b J re,ule La~ \'("g~' I.. the
<br />larf:t'~1 direCl di<t.:harger to rh... Color~Jo
<br />River - di.,char!,e, lh~f ,ho.... no si~ns uf
<br />JilJJini,hing Jnyrime 'OUIl.
<br />Consltuclinn ul Huovt'r DJm in Ihe
<br />carl~' )9jO, kicked lltlthe tlrsl PUPUI,l'
<br />rion boom in the rcgion .md 'lI1(l' ,h~t
<br />rime, Ihc pnruLlIinn h,t< t"ominunl,o
<br />grow .II unrre((~Jemnj r;llt"S, Tht"
<br />POpuLllion 111 Lis Vt"g.l\ CU[(Cllrly hovl'l'
<br />;Itound I.:; million and conrinuc' ro
<br />CH'dlat... lllnmhk, And .h Warl'lelln-
<br />mmplion h,l, incrc.unj ru n,rr""polld
<br />wirh Ihl' growing l'''puLlIlon, '0 ha, Ihe
<br />JI1l0Ullf uf dl1ucIII diS(:har~c:J to Iht'wa\h.
<br />'It) h'l'p up wirh it, (""\'t'r t'xpJllding:
<br />popularion, In July 2001 L.a~ Vq~as'
<br />wa,IC:WJICr tr....lImt'nt .lgenllt's we're
<br />Jllowed ru Inut'a,... tht' mnirnum
<br />di\ch.uge permitted to Iht' w.1-<h from
<br />176 million gJllons a dJY (mgdl _ JhuUl
<br />
<br />" I
<br />
<br />"It's in our own best
<br />interest to dean up the
<br />wash and it~ something
<br />that needs to be done (or
<br />the whole river system."
<br />
<br />]<)-,OIJOJ(rl,'.ll"C{ a
<br />\'eJr- IOdhnut 2'l.j
<br />mgd, or mer 2-3,tHll)
<br />,Ilfl:-kl"t pnyt'J!.
<br />Oliit.:IJI\ \.l~' ,hI:
<br />uKreaseJ di~,h;lrge
<br />faIt' will ht' rampeJ up
<br />over numnllUS yo'an,
<br />I/o"ever. Xe\'JJJ JII"
<br />has Jdopl."d 10lAI Maximum DJi1r
<br />LtlJd\ (/,\lfJl~) - .I pro\'i~i(>n und.'r the
<br />f...dadl Cle.ln \\'al('r Au requiring Slatt',
<br />10 sel ~tJndJrJ, tin pollutants ,hJt
<br />impJir willerwa}'s (ltlr rho\phumm alld
<br />nitro~en) hnrh ttlund In Ihe WJ.,h.
<br />The :-;oulhcrn Nevd.la 'X';lln AUlhor-
<br />il\' (SN\\;'AJ. Wale'r purve.mr (or the
<br />region, Jlong with the Ihree n]dinr area
<br />di~chargt'n (city of 1/t'nder,'''II, ,ir" of
<br />Lt~ VegJs Jnd CIJrk COUllI\' '~llilJlion
<br />Di,lrttl, Juhbt...! tht" ~Cle-an \\;'Jlt"t
<br />CllaliuOltl hdw gr;lpple.1 wjth WJler
<br />qUJlity i,\ue.s t'Or \Ome rime, The
<br />1I,llionJI ~rodighl W;I' thru\1 onw
<br />Las \'egJ\ after .I ] <)94 ("f}'plO\p<lriJium
<br />oUfhreJk W~.\ linkt-d co Ih... dt'Jlh.\ of
<br />32 people.
<br />.\ince lhar timt'. SN\'('A hJ~ <rem
<br />mlllion.\ o( dolJ.u, co imrmvt' Its wart'r
<br /><juJlilY hy up~rading !rl'Jlmcnr plJnB,
<br />promOling WJttt (on<ervJtion J.nJ Walt'r
<br />
<br />a'cycling, .1Od
<br />(onduCfingnumerou\
<br />ltUJ,C\. In hlgge~r
<br />(hJllell~e to improve
<br />ia w.uer qua]if~' 11l.l~'
<br />hI: Ih.'et'l'On to
<br />e1l'all-up Ihe WJ~h.
<br />WTht' wash is
<br />up"ream t'romour
<br />intJh. ~(J we're Iht' tir" recipient of
<br />JI1~'lhillg Ihdl goe' into the w;nh,w said
<br />Pal :Slulroy, gl'nnJI man.lg!:r fur SN\X'A.
<br />kJr'S in our own I,...,t intereSI 10 dc-an up
<br />Ihe wa~h ,Iml if'S ~omethillg Ihat needs
<br />III ht' done It)r Ihe whole liver \Plt'IIl, W
<br />Though Ilow, from tht' wash
<br />COll<lirtllelt's\ than 2 perct'1ll oflh...
<br />WJler lound In Lake .\leJd, Ihey have
<br />JnlpJuC'd d lIluch larger .....gmenr of
<br />CnlOLldo Rivcr U'c:'B, Uver 17 million
<br />~()ulht'rn CJliforniam ,10.1 on'r .3 million
<br />Ari/ollall< loca!t',j Jowll<lreJm from
<br />Lakt' M('ad ,m, .it'l'l<'n.It'1II 011 Ihe
<br />ColorJdo RIver fur tht'ir supl'l~',
<br />Concurrently, there IS concan Jbout
<br />WJ\h waler qu.lht)'. especially with
<br />r<'~ard to lindlllP rhat thl' LIS Vq:J~
<br />\X'J,h i\ 'urplyin~ the ColorJdo Rivl:r
<br />wilh p<'r,hlorJI<:,.1n oxidizff for lOcker
<br />Iud rh.u ha.~ Ix....n shown 10 CJ.USC
<br />lh~'rnlll prn!>lems in hUlllJns.
<br />W\\'C"re always con(erned when we seC'
<br />J (onr,ll11inaOl III our Wolter, W gid
<br />,"'brsh.lll Da\'is, a l.ibl.lfatoty anJI}'sr wirh
<br />MelTOpoliun \X'al(,( Dislrict ofSoUlhern
<br />CJlilorniJ (MWD), whu traced findinp
<br />ot'pffchlofJIC'b;lCk to Ihe WJsh in July
<br />1'}<)7. k~letmp(llilJn hJ, been dosely
<br />followin!,: tht' c1cJn up dTotf in Ihe Las
<br />\'q:;t> \'("d.<h and il is be~t for southern
<br />Aevdda dnd rllt' d"wnslrt'.;tm U~ers to
<br />hJ\e rh.. perchlorate contJminJtion
<br />c1ean("d Iip,~
<br />Olher i\\ue.\ persist for the .....ash as
<br />well. Over rhe dC'CJde!>. locreOlsed
<br />di<ch.lf!:t', to Ihe wash from ooth
<br />,lOrmWJtcr and Watcf lreJlmt'1lI plalllS
<br />ha\'(' ,roured away milch ul Ihe .....etlJnd
<br />ecoS~'Stems IhJt not ()nJ~' provide hJhit,u
<br />ttH v.lriou~ animal ~pCl:ies bur combine
<br />10 ad a.< nalural tiltrationsplelJJs for
<br />wdsh n(lW~, Erllsiun has creJIN serious
<br />seJimelllloadin!: In Las VegJs BJ.~'. rht'
<br />
<br />-PotMulroy.
<br />Gene-rot Mono~r. SNWA
<br />
<br />
<br />4 . COlOR~PO RIVER PlltllH r ' RJ\"FR REI'tlln
<br />
<br />WJ~nR 200 I
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