LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Lake Mead National Recreation Area is asking the public for input as it plans options on how to maintain launch ramp access for boaters to the lake and other visitor services amid record low water levels.
This outreach comes as the level of Lake Mead begins to drop again. Currently, the level is 1,044.39 feet above sea level. The lake has dropped almost two feet in the last two weeks after a couple of months of gains, partially due to the heavy monsoon this year. Lake Mead is now about three and a half feet higher than its low point on July 24 at 1,044.77′.
Before the lake hit that low point and since, the National Park Service has been working weekly to adjust the boat launch at Hemenway Harbor. But the launches at Callville Bay Marina, Echo Bay, Temple Bar Marina, and South Cove have most been unmaintained by the park service. With permission from the NPS, residents have built and maintained a launch at South Cove.
“Already low water levels are decreasing at a more rapid rate than decades of projections
indicated was likely. Climate change worsened drought requires us to think differently and plan
for less predictable water levels into the future,” said Acting NPS Superintendent Stan Austin. “The purpose of our Sustainable Low Water Access Plan is to develop a strategic direction for the
future of motorized boat launching and related commercial services at five key access locations, along with facility and infrastructure needs and related implementation actions at these locations.”
In August, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen asked the director of the NPS to figure out a way to re-open the closed boat launches at Lake Mead, or at least provide reasoning as to why it cannot be done.
Public Input Meetings
Meetings will be held at the following times and locations:
- Meadview, AZ – Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022; 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. MST at the Meadview Civic Association Building; 247 E. Meadview Blvd., Meadview, AZ 86444
- Boulder City, NV – Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022; 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. PST at 100 Date Street, Building 100; Boulder City, NV 89005
- Kingman, AZ – Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022; 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. MST at the Kingman Office of Tourism, Powerhouse Conference Room, 120 W. Andy Devine Ave., Kingman, AZ 86401
- Virtual – Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022; 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. PST
Comments regarding the planning concepts will be made available online on the park’s planning
website.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the water level in Lake Mead is expected to continue dropping over the next two years to about 1,014 feet in late 2024.
