Boating hazards rise as Lake Mead level drops
Chom Kessell has had a sinking feeling in his gut.
Part of it is because of where he lives — in a houseboat on Lake Mead, whose level has sunk to record lows.
His other concerns stem from the thousands of visiting boaters every month who aren‘t cautious about potentially deadly hazards hidden inches under their hulls.
The lake‘s level stood at 1,076 feet on Monday, down by nearly 30 feet since 2013. However, it‘s still the largest resevoir in the United States and one of the most popular attractions run by the National Park Service.
Less water has propelled the emergence of hazards such as islands — some jutting above and others just below the surface.
Although Kessell has seen the lake shrink throughout his 18 years in Las Vegas, he said it is still a good place to have fun if approached with caution.
"I‘m not really happy (about the drought), but you‘ve still got plenty of room to run around. You‘ve got to be careful though," he said. "You‘ve got these (islands) sticking out and they‘re not really marked, so you‘ve got to be careful where you go."
Nevada State Game Warden Zachary Blackwood presented one of the several masses that have emerged in recent weeks. White and red-striped hazard buoys surrounded the 4-foot-tall mound of rock and reef poking out of the water across Lake Mead Marina.
"If somebody hits this at full speed, it could be a catastrophe. This could kill people easily," he said. "I mean hitting it at a slow speed could do major damage, especially to the vessel. If somebody lands on it, that‘s very sharp, jagged rock."
Over the Fourth of July weekend a couple of reports were filed under "rescues." However, the specific reasons were unclear in each case.
Cove and ramp problems
Vanessa Zelko, a regular boater at Lake Mead for the past two years, is concerned about the area‘s coves.
"Now when you pull into some of the coves, it‘s so silty that you sink in when you get off," the 36-year-old said. "Like the last time we were out here the kids sunk in, so we had to call them back onto the boat."
Her family lounged on their boat July 3 off Boulder Harbor, which is the only one of the lake‘s six harbors where the concrete ramps still reach the water.
Lake Mead spokeswoman Christie Vanover explained how launching has become tedious at the other locations.
"Boaters have to go from concrete, to dirt, to temporary pipe matting, and so it does make (launching) challenging," she said. "Four-wheel drive is recommended because people are getting stuck."
On July 7 the Lake Mead National Recreation Area awarded two contracts totaling $1.5 million for new concrete ramps that extend to the new shores. The project will include excavation for Boulder Harbor‘s channel. Construction is set to begin next week.
Visitation, fluctuation
Despite any obstacles, the lake‘s 500 miles of shoreline attracted 120,000 visitors over the Fourth of July weekend. Last year‘s same three-day weekend saw 78,000 people.
Vanover attributed the holiday rise to agreeable weather. Monsoons drove guests away from the recreation area in 2014.
Attendance flourished in 2000; the lake‘s lowest level was 1,195 feet. More than 8,755,005 people visited that year.
Fourteen years later both numbers dipped — to 1,080 feet and 6,942,873 people.
So far this year the lake has seen more than 3 million guests.
Vanover had a recommendation for boaters — those familiar with and those new to the lake.
"What we like to do is remind people that every time they visit Lake Mead they should treat it as a new experience," she said. "Just because they boated here last month or last year, they‘re not going to be boating on the same lake as they previously were."
Contact May Ortega at mortega@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908. Find her on Twitter: @MayVOrtega.
