A COMPREHENSIVE STAKEHOLDER-DRIVEN APPROACH TO WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING

摘要

The Las Vegas Wash plays an important role in the environment of Southern Nevada, providing a home for various species and recreational activities, while serving as a “funnel” for stormwater flows, landscape and street runoff, treated wastewater flows and shallow groundwater seepage. The Wash encompasses a 12-mile stretch of land in the southeast portion of the bowl-shaped Las Vegas Valley. It is the sole drainage channel for the entire watershed, carrying an average of 150 million gallons a day. Although the Las Vegas Wash makes up less than two percent of the water flowing into Lake Mead, the primary drinking source for the Las Vegas Valley, water quality in the Wash remains a constant concern for several reasons. This paper summarizes efforts to develop a comprehensive adaptive management plan for the Wash that can and is already being implemented, highlights the stakeholder positions and actions in addressing the problem and developing solutions, and describes the necessary efforts to foster public awareness, build trust, work with stakeholders and the media, and communicate about these issues in citizen-friendly ways.