EPA, Clark County reach Laughlin Lagoon agreement

The U.S. EPA has announced a final agreement with the Clark County over unpermitted discharges of dredged material into the Laughlin Lagoon.

The lagoon is a part of the Colorado River, in southern Nevada.

Under the terms of the settlement, Clark County will implement wetlands conservation and mitigation measures at the lagoon.

“The Colorado River is a vital source of drinking water and wildlife habitat in the western United States,” said EPA Regional Administrator John Busterud. 

“EPA is pleased that as a result of this settlement Clark County will provide critical wetlands habitat in the Laughlin Lagoon and Colorado River.”

From September 2018 through January 2019, Clark County used mechanized equipment to dredge 224,342 cubic yards of sediment from approximately 22 acres of channels in Laughlin Lagoon.

During dredging, Clark County deposited some of that dredged material in the lagoon to construct temporary work platforms and haul roads to assist in further dredging.

For this work, Clark County failed to obtain an appropriate Clean Water Act (CWA) 404 permit from USACE in violation of Sections 301(a) and 404 of the CWA.