March 18, 2002
For Immediate Release
702-293-8907
leslie_paige@NPS.gov

Low water levels at Lake Mead affect boaters

As the boating season approaches, the National Park Service at Lake Mead National Recreation Area is reminding boaters that water levels at the lake are low. At 1,174 feet above sea level, this month's water level is 22-feet lower than last year's level for the same month.

Current projections by the Bureau of Reclamation indicate the low water level will drop to 1,160 feet above sea level by the end of November 2002, although that projection is subject to change.

"Lake Mead's drop is a result of dry conditions in the Upper Colorado River Basin," said Bob Walsh, chief of external affairs with the Lower Colorado River Region of the Bureau of Reclamation, noting that the basin area has experienced three consecutive years of below average runoff. Walsh also said Lake Mead is well within its normal operating range, and there is still enough water in the Colorado River to meet future agricultural, municipal and other water requirements.

These lower levels expose boaters to new hazards they may not be accustomed to with rocks and reefs just inches below the level of the water.

Fishermen who use the lake 12-months a year are more accustomed to these hazards to navigation. However, recreational boaters, water skiers and personal watercraft operators who stray from the main channel need to exercise extreme caution.

"We are required by U.S. Coast Guard regulations to mark hazards within the main channel," said Jim Koza, chief of aids to navigation branch at Lake Mead NRA. "Water levels are constantly changing and there are many unmarked hazards just below the water surface." Rock hazards outside the main channel are not marked.

Using launch ramps also presents a problem. Ramps are being exposed to fresh air for the first time in years and over that time, large holes have developed.

Beginning in 2000, the park began a program to remove all asphalt covered launch ramps and replace them with v-grove concrete. This program affected most of the launch ramps on the Nevada side of Lake Mead. Unfortunately water levels only permitted the park to work to the water line – then 1,196 feet.

"This wasn't a problem when the water was higher," said Dale Antonich, chief ranger at Lake Mead NRA. "With the water going down, those areas on the launch ramps are now just below the surface and boats being launched may encounter uneven surfaces or holes."

Today, launch ramps at Pearce Ferry, Ariz., and Government Wash, Nev., have been closed due to the low water levels. Other launch ramps are being evaluated to insure the safety of the park visitors.

While the lake level is lower, this does not diminish the recreation experience at Lake Mead NRA.

Bill Dickinson, superintendent of the 1.5 million acre recreation area, said, "We are dedicated to providing the best inland water recreation outlet possible. We have regular visitors visiting us from four local states and destination travelers from around the world."

Dickinson said park rangers are ever vigilant for any hazards that could affect the visitor experience but says it would be impossible to mark every hazard to navigation on the nearly 250 square miles of water that is Lake Mead.

Lower water levels only affect Lake Mead and have no bearing on the water levels of Lake Mohave, also part of Lake Mead NRA. Low Water Page

Lake Mead NRA is a unit of the National Park Service.