Lake Mead: Lakeshore Rd & Northshore Rd Closed Due To Flash Flooding

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA News Release

For Immediate Release: Oct. 4, 2010
Release No.: 2010-43
Contact: Andrew S. Muñoz, (702) 293-8691

LAKESHORE RD & NORTHSHORE RD CLOSED DUE TO FLASH FLOODING

LAS VEGAS - The National Park Service has closed access to Lake Mead
National Recreation Area at Boulder Beach, Lake Mead Pkwy, Lake Mead Blvd,
Overton entrances. Lakeshore Road and Northshore Road are closed to through
traffic. The park is experiencing flooding and debris over these routes.

Rangers are also reporting that the road to Meadview, Ariz. has been washed
out.

For the most up to date road conditions monitor the park's Twitter site at
http://twitter.com/LakeMeadNRA

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Park And Concessioner Work To Repair Flashflood Damage

The heavy rains from the storms that struck the park on Monday caused a flashflood in Callville Wash that significantly damaged the marina and knocked out electricity to the entire area. The ten-foot wall of water that came down the wash was powerful enough to move the 10,000-pound concrete blocks used to anchor the marina. No privately-owned boats at the marina were damaged, though. The park and Forever Resorts are working to restore operations at the marina as quickly as possible, but the area will likely be closed for at least several days. Meanwhile, Callville Bay and the Callville Bay access road have been closed to all park visitors. No services will be available to the public at the bay until the closure order is rescinded. Rangers are controlling access to the area at the intersection of Callville Bay Access Road and Northshore Road. Damage assessment teams will be working this week to assess the storm damage and provide accurate cost estimates. Preliminarily, damage estimates are near $1 million. NV Energy is working to restore power, but it’s estimated it could take up to a week. Echo Bay launch ramp is closed due to the dirt access road being washed out. Maintenance crews should have access restored by the end of the week. All other services at Echo Bay including the marina, store and trailer village are open. Temple Bar and Hemenway Harbor launch ramps are open and all services are available from those marinas. Lake Mead RV Village is open. The most current conditions will be posted on the park’s Twitter site at http://twitter.com/LakeMeadNRA . Information will also be available on the park’s web site at http://www.nps.gov/lake.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
Flashflood Recovery Operations Continue

Electricity has been restored to the Callville Bay developed area. Visitors now have access to the campground, trailer village, and launch ramp, but a temporary closure order remains in effect for the Callville Bay Marina complex, which will continue to be off-limits to the public, including marina slip renters. Boaters are required to stay at least 20-feet away from the marina complex at all times. A damage assessment is still underway. Damage to backcountry roads and trails has been discovered, including bucking and washed out pavement on the River Mountain Loop Trail. The Callville Bay store and lounge will be back to normal operating hours on Saturday.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (AZ,NV)
More Facilities Open As Flashflood Recovery Continues

The Callville Bay Marina complex and the low water launch ramp at Echo Bay have been reopened to the public. Access to the former is limited to marine slip renters, but the campground, trailer village, store and lounge there are open to all. Shuttle boat service for marina slip renters will continue on a daily basis from the launch ramp courtesy dock until access via the marina head walk is restored. Slip renters may elect to stay overnight, but restroom facilities are not yet available. Full services should be restored sometime within the next two weeks. Until then, boat fuel, sewage pump-out and boat rental services will not be offered. The park completed its field survey of damage late last week. Engineers are now working to estimate the cost of repairing the damage inflicted by the flashfloods.