Document Type

Report

Publication Date

9-19-2003

Publisher

Southern Nevada Water Authority

Abstract

The Las Vegas Wash (Wash) is the primary drainage for the metropolitan Las Vegas Valley, eventually finding its way into the Colorado River watershed system. Pursuant to the recommendations of the Water Quality Citizens Advisory Committee, the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee (LVWCC) was formed in 1998 to develop a comprehensive plan for the long-term stabilization and management of the Wash. Consisting of representatives from 28 government agencies, businesses, environmental groups and citizens, the LVWCC formulated the Las Vegas Wash Comprehensive Adaptive Management Plan (CAMP) and designated the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) as the lead agency for the implementation of the CAMP. Implementation of the plan's 44 recommendations began in 2000.

Invasive plant management has become an integral component of the overall stabilization and enhancement of the Wash. Pursuant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Section 404 permit, the SNWA is required to mitigate on an acre-per-acre basis of land disturbed during the implementation of the Las Vegas Wash Capital Improvements Program (LVWCIP). Compliance with the Section 404 permit requires that the SNWA maintain an 80 percent survival rate of native species and less than 20 percent cover of invasive plant species. To better facilitate compliance and maximize the effectiveness of the revegetation program in the Wash, the SNWA prompted the formation of the Las Vegas Wash Weed Partnership (Partnership) in 2002, with the assistance of grant funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The mission of the Partnership is "to promote awareness among the landowners and land managers within the hydrographic basin, facilitate cooperation and collaboration, create a weed control plan, and implement on-the-ground weed management activities in the lower Las Vegas Wash."

Keywords

Agriculture; Botany; Cooperation; Giant reed; Land use; Lepidium latifolium; Nevada--Las Vegas Wash; Shrubs--Control; Tamarisks--Control; Weeds; Weeds--Control

Disciplines

Agricultural Science | Agriculture | Botany | Desert Ecology | Environmental Sciences | Natural Resources and Conservation | Plant Biology | Plant Pathology | Water Resource Management | Weed Science

Language

English

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