I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4692
To direct the Secretary of the Army, the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of
the Interior to participate in the implementation of the Las Vegas Wash
Wetland Restoration and Lake Mead Water Quality Improvement
Project, Nevada.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 19, 2000
Ms. BERKLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Army, the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of
Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Interior to partici-
pate in the implementation of the Las Vegas Wash Wet-
land Restoration and Lake Mead Water Quality Improve-
ment Project, Nevada.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Las Vegas Wash Wet-
lands Restoration and Lake Mead Water Quality Improve-
ment Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the Las Vegas Wash is a significant eco-
system of desert wetland created by treated effluent
return flows, urban runoff, and flood events from
the Las Vegas Valley;
(2) a healthy wetland ecosystem in the Las
Vegas Wash would improve water quality in the Las
Vegas Bay, the Lake Mead National Recreation
Area, and the lower Colorado River, which is critical
habitat for endangered and threatened fish and wild-
life populations;
(3) the Secretary of the Interior delivers munic-
ipal, industrial, and agricultural water from the Col-
orado River to millions of people in Nevada, Arizona,
and California;
(4) a significant concern relating to water qual-
ity in Lake Mead is the transmission of contami-
nants to the Colorado River through the Las Vegas
Wash from shallow ground water seepage originating
at an industrial complex located in the southeast
part of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada;
(5) such industrial complex was constructed by
the Federal Government during World War II to
manufacture products required by the Department
of Defense, including perchlorate, which is an essen-
tial component of rocket fuel used exclusively by the
Federal Government;
(6) over the past 20 years the Las Vegas Wash
wetland has been significantly eroded and deterio-
rated by flash floods, increasing treated effluent
flows, urban runoff, and polluted shallow ground-
water seepage;
(7) the loss of the Las Vegas Wash wetland is
having an adverse impact on wildlife habitat;
(8) the Las Vegas Wash wetland is a unique
opportunity to experience a wetland environment
providing educational, cultural, environmental, and
recreation benefits to the community of southern
Nevada;
(9) as recommended by a citizens’ water quality
advisory committee in 1998, the Las Vegas Wash
Coordination Committee, including Federal, State,
and local agencies, was formed to establish a com-
prehensive adaptive management plan for the Las
Vegas Wash wetland;
(10) from 1998 to 1999, the Committee en-
gaged in an extensive public process to evaluate the
multifaceted challenges associated with the restora-
tion of the Las Vegas Wash wetland;
(11) in October of 1999, the Committee initi-
ated a process for public comment on a comprehen-
sive adaptive management plan;
(12) in January 2000, the adaptive manage-
ment plan was approved by the Board of the South-
ern Nevada Water Authority, which is the coordi-
nating agency for the Committee; and
(13) the adaptive management plan calls for a
partnership among Federal, State and local agencies
with an interest in Las Vegas Wash wetland.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to recognize the importance of the restora-
tion of the Las Vegas Wash wetland to water quality
in the Colorado River and a desert wetland eco-
system;
(2) to direct the affected Federal agencies to
participate constructively in the implementation of
the Las Vegas Wash Wetland Restoration and Lake
Mead Water Quality Improvement Project under the
comprehensive adaptive management plan; and
(3) to authorize such sums as are necessary for
the affected Federal agencies to carry out specific
tasks required by the Project in partnership with the
authority and other State and local agencies involved
in the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1) AUTHORITY.—The term ‘‘Authority’’ means
the Southern Nevada Water Authority, organized
under the law of the State of Nevada.
(2) 
COMMITTEE.—The 
term 
‘‘Committee’’
means the 28-member Las Vegas Wash Coordina-
tion Committee, including representatives of—
(A) the Army Corps of Engineers;
(B) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(C) the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service;
(D) the National Park Service;
(E) the Bureau of Reclamation;
(F) the Natural Resources Conservation
Service;
(G) the Southern Nevada Water Authority;
(H) the Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection, Clark County, Nevada (including
the Clark County Department of Parks and
Recreation);
(I) the Clark County Sanitation District;
(J) the cities of Las Vegas, North Las
Vegas, and Henderson, Nevada;
(K) the Clark County Regional Flood Con-
trol District;
(L) other Federal, State, and local agen-
cies;
(M) environmental groups; and
(N) private citizens.
(3) PROJECT.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Project’’
means the Las Vegas Wash Wetlands Restora-
tion and Lake Mead Water Quality Improve-
ment Project.
(B) INCLUSIONS.—Such term includes the
programs, features, components, projects, and
activities 
identified 
in 
the 
Comprehensive
Adaptive Management Plan for the Las Vegas
Wash developed by the Committee and dated
January 20, 2000.
SEC. 4. PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any other authority
granted under Federal law, the Secretary of the Army,
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the
Interior may participate in the continued development and
implementation of the Project.
(b) FEDERAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of the
Army, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency, and the Secretary of the Interior shall provide
with respect to the Project such technical assistance, inter-
agency coordination, and funding for—
(1) the collection and modeling of hydrologic
data for water quality; and
(2) the design and construction of—
(A) erosion control facilities;
(B) wetland restoration features;
(C) ground water interdiction facilities;
(D) treated effluent transport diffusion
and reuse features;
(E) water quality improvement facilities;
and
(F) any other project features developed
under the Las Vegas Wash Comprehensive
Adaptive Management Plan.
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act.
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