Clark County completes Laughlin wetland conservation measures

The U.S. EPA announced last week that Clark County Department of Public Works has completed implementing wetlands conservation measures at Laughlin Lagoon in full compliance with a 2020 agreement.

That agreement resulted from unpermitted discharges of dredged material into the lagoon by Clark County.

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

“EPA is pleased Clark County has met its obligations, providing critical wetlands habitat in the Laughlin Lagoon and Colorado River,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, Amy Miller. 

“Protecting the Colorado River, which is a vital drinking water source and wildlife habitat, is essential to protecting human health and the environment in significant swaths of the western United States.”

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 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in violation of Sections 301(a) and 404 of the Act.