Title
Environmental assessment of Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead artificial wetlands demonstration project
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2-1988
Publisher
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The effective use of artificial wetlands for treatment of municipal wastewater is well documented; however, design and economic data for artificial wetlands development are limited (Gersberg et al., 1984a). This is due partly to regional differences in climate, soils, and vegetation and partly to the desired waste treatment. As a result, specific treatment levels and cost benefits relative to the use of an artificial wetlands for a particular site cannot be evaluated adequately without a pilot demonstration project. Las Vegas Wash receives sewage effluent from the Las Vegas metropolitan area and has been designated as a wetlands community park. Las Vegas Wash is located in the Mojave Desert and a wetlands in this area is very unique. Unfortunately, the existing wetlands have been essentially lost due to erosion. Wetlands restoration is currently under consideration for both sewage treatment and erosion control. The effort proposed here is for a pilot wetlands demonstration for treatment of sewage effluent in Las Vegas Wash. Historically, substantial reductions in nutrient concentrations occurred in the Las Vegas Wash. These reductions were due to some combination of mechanisms associated with but not directly related to the historical wetlands as described in the "Historical Background" section of this proposal. The proposed demonstration will be an artificial (managed) wetlands; and therefore, it will not functionally be representative of the historical wetlands in Las Vegas Wash.
Keywords
Artificial wetlands; Constructed wastewater treatment wetlands; Effluent quality; Lake disposal of wastes; Lake Mead (Ariz. and Nev.); Las Vegas Bay (Nev.); Las Vegas Wash (Nev.); Water treatment
Disciplines
Desert Ecology | Environmental Engineering | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Fresh Water Studies | Natural Resource Economics | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Sustainability | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Language
English
Repository Citation
Baker, J. R.,
Gersberg, R. M.,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(1988).
Environmental assessment of Las Vegas Wash and Lake Mead artificial wetlands demonstration project.
Available at:
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/water_pubs/47
Included in
Desert Ecology Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Sustainability Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons